The issue of Brexit continues to cause political tension in Northern Ireland, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promise to “Get Brexit Done.” While the UK government was able to negotiate a deal that left Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods, the sea border has consistently been a sticking point for politicians in the region. The Northern Ireland Protocol dictated that medicines being sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland would have had to meet EU standards, which presented a significant challenge for regular trade. While the EU agreed to major changes for human medicines, veterinary medicines continue to face the possibility of being withdrawn from sale due to the expense of meeting EU regulations.
Goods from the Republic of Ireland are currently exempt from checks at the Irish Sea ports. However, this is expected to change soon as facilities in Wales become operational. This presents the challenge of enforcing controls on non-qualifying goods without disrupting the free flow of qualifying goods. While the UK government has pledged to maintain unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods, it remains unclear how illicit goods from the Republic of Ireland will be detected.
A vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly this week highlighted how Brexit will continue to be a major topic of discussion in the region. The assembly was voting on whether it should adopt a piece of EU law regulating the production and sale of goods in Northern Ireland. While this particular motion was relatively uncontroversial, it highlights the potential for political disagreements as more regulations are voted on.
The issue of Brexit is far from being “done” in Northern Ireland, and tensions may continue to rise as new regulations are introduced. As long as Northern Ireland remains in the single market for goods while the rest of the UK does not, there is potential for disagreement between unionists and nationalists in the assembly, between local parties and the UK government, and between the UK and the EU. It remains to be seen how these disagreements will be resolved
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