UK demands’ significant change’ of Northern Ireland trade rules
Al Jazeera, 13 Oct 2021
The United Kingdom’s Brexit Minister says the Northern Ireland Protocol is doing more harm than good - and is creating severe challenges in the region.
Northern Ireland is the sole area where the UK and the European Union physically meet - along its 500km (310 miles) border with Ireland.
Keeping that border open is a crucial part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the long-running conflict in Northern Ireland that killed more than 3,000 people.
To avoid any physical border checkpoints, the ‘Protocol’ created a customs divide in the Irish Sea instead - which is inside the UK.
The UK’s David Frost is adamant that it must change, and he revealed a proposal for a new, amended deal on Tuesday.
However, reaction from the EU - set to unveil its own proposal on Wednesday - has been lukewarm at best.
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons travelled to see what effect the dispute is having in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/
- Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/