Agreement in the Brexit dispute: The English Channel is getting narrower

The EU and Great Britain have settled the dispute over Northern Ireland after Brexit. With the control mechanism that has now been agreed, London and Brussels are getting closer again.

For months, Brexit and its consequences were no longer an issue in Brussels. And if they do, then only in the form of mocking or annoyed comments. The continent had grown accustomed to constant threats from the island. This culminated in London’s announcement that it would unilaterally change the provisions of the Brexit agreement, which it had signed itself.

But with the new British government under Rishi Sunak, the English Channel has narrowed again. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen praised the British prime minister in Windsor: “Right from the start there was a very constructive attitude towards solving problems and finding workable solutions.”

Compromise on the control mechanism

And in the dispute over the movement of goods to Northern Ireland, it looks like this: Goods from Great Britain that are only intended for the British part of the island of Ireland will no longer be strictly checked in future. They are subject to UK standards. It is different with goods that are destined for the EU member state Ireland – they are comprehensively checked.

British entrepreneurs can register once as a trusted trader and are then subject to significantly fewer formalities. This should guarantee full supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland, protect the EU internal market and ensure that the border on the island of Ireland remains open and the fragile peace there is preserved.

Much praise for the agreement

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the EU Parliament, David McAllister from the CDU, is satisfied: “The compromise that has been found is pragmatic and gives reason to hope that the ongoing debate can finally be settled.”

The decision allows the UK to apply reduced VAT rates to items supplied and installed in Northern Ireland, for example a heat pump for a house in Belfast. Social Democrat Bernd Lange, head of Parliament’s trade committee, calls the Windsor agreement historic:

Headwinds from Northern Ireland Unionists

The Northern Irish parliament will have more say in the future: it can pull the emergency brake at the request of 30 members and ask the British government to stop the application of certain rules.

However, the European Court of Justice still has the last word on disputed issues – and that causes great problems for Unionists from Northern Ireland. The chairwoman of the internal market committee, Anna Cavazzini from the Greens, therefore says: “Now it is important that Sunak can also push through this deal domestically at home – especially with the critical parties in Northern Ireland.”

The EU member states and the European Parliament must also agree. Nevertheless, it is already clearly noticeable that there is a new tone between London and Brussels. There’s cause for celebration on the continent: The Windsor deal will help fundamentally improve EU-Britain relations, says an EU official familiar with the details.