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June 23 marks six years since, in a referendum, the British people decided to leave the European Union. Since then, agreements and disagreements have been the constant in the relationship between London and Brussels, with Northern Ireland at the center of the discrepancies. Now the UK is preparing to introduce legislation in Parliament that would unilaterally change the Northern Ireland protocol. We analyze this new controversy between the EU and the United Kingdom.
Although Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, it shares the same island with the Republic of Ireland, a country that belongs to the EU. The key point of the negotiation between the parties was the border between the two Irelands. The agreement was a soft border, that is, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, but does not have a physical border with Ireland, to guarantee the flow of trade.
Northern Ireland would continue to be linked to the EU common market, but the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented a bill to the House of Commons that could allow unilateral modification of the Northern Ireland Protocol, agreed within the agreement of the Brexit and that it would establish customs controls.
What is Johnson looking for with this proposal? What options does the European Union have? Is it willing to negotiate with London or will it maintain a stronger and firmer position compared to what was previously agreed? What does it mean for Northern Ireland to be in the middle of the situation? What sanctions is London exposed to? How will trade be affected? We analyze it together with our guests:
– Oscar Guardiola, writer and professor at Birkbeck College University of London.
– Dámaso Morales Ramírez, coordinator of the European Center of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
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