Mixed reaction for Windsor Framework internationally
There has been mixed reaction to the agreement between the EU and the UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol with the DUP dampening expectations on the prospects it could unlock the Stormont Assembly impasse.
It was all smiles as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the EU Commission's Ursula von der Leyen revealed the new deal on Monday evening (February 27). Labelled the Windsor Framework it involved an array of changes and reforms, covering trade, VAT regulation, and the role of Stormont in EU laws that apply to the North.
An important part of the deal was the creation of a new system - so-called red and green lanes - for the flow of goods.
It means that goods imported, which will stay within Northern Ireland, will benefit from the “green lane” with fewer checks. Any products which could cross the border, entering the EU’s single market will be processed through a “red lane”.
Welcoming the framework, Cavan-Monaghan TD Brendan Smith felt it took account of concerns of all sides.
“The new framework does its utmost to address the concerns and find a balanced solution that everyone can work with,” said Deputy Smith.
He said the arrangement will permit the same goods to be available in both Northern Ireland and Britain.
"The new agreement means that the same food will be available on shelves in Northern Ireland as in Britain. The terms and conditions that apply to pharmaceutical products in Britain will now also apply in Northern Ireland. Medicines will also be available to people in Northern Ireland at the same time and under the same conditions as the rest of the UK. Northern Ireland needs certainty and stability going forward and this agreement provides the basis for that. At the very least, everyone must provide it with an opportunity to work.”
He concluded by saying the new deal is a key component to ensuring there is a good future between Ireland and the UK. “The Windsor framework also means that we have a new basis for renewing British-Irish relations. The UK Prime Minister has clearly negotiated in good faith here. That is very encouraging for the future as we seek to move ahead and put the recent difficulties behind us.”
While DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson welcomed “significant progress” on the deal he said that “there remain key issues of concern”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Donaldson said this is a very complex agreement, we need to understand it, the legal text we only received yesterday afternoon so we’re going to take time to study the legal text, to get legal advice on it, and then we’ll come to a conclusion on the agreement as a whole.”
However other figures in the DUP expressed reservations on the deal with Ian Paisley Jr telling BBC’s Newsnight that his “gut instinct” is that the deal “doesn’t cut the mustard”, while Sammy Wilson has said he fears Northern Ireland’s “position in the United Kingdom is not going to be restored” by the deal.
Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB), a community group whose aim was to ensure there was no hard border in Ireland and preserve the Good Friday Agreement, welcomed the deal as positive for businesses that regularly cross the border.
“This deal on the protocol protects and enhances the all-island economy and protects the 40 million vehicles, with families, workers, and goods, that criss cross the border annually. The dual market access of this deal is also crucial; it gives us access to a market of 500 million people in the EU, and unfettered access to the UK market,” said a BCAB spokesperson.
They also said they hoped for public representatives to continue to strive to restore power sharing in Stormont saying, “We hope our politicians can work earnestly to restore the Assembly and Executive whilst working through the fine details of this document.”