The British government said on Wednesday that it had reached a
“good”
agreement with the unionists of Northern Ireland, to end their boycott of local institutions and thus turn the page on two years of political deadlock.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), fiercely attached to belonging to the British Crown, withdrew in February 2022 from the Northern Irish executive and parliament, to protest against the new post-Brexit trade rules which according to it threatened the province's place within the United Kingdom.
London dealerships
But the leader of the DUP Jeffrey Donaldson announced on the night of Monday to Tuesday that his party was ready to participate in the restart of the institutions thanks to concessions presented by London.
After the publication of these measures, the British Minister for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris affirmed on Wednesday before Parliament in London that the agreement reached was
“good for Northern Ireland and for the Union”
.
He described discussions between his team and Northern Ireland's political parties as
"long and necessarily difficult"
.
Once the agreement is adopted in the British Parliament, the Northern Irish local assembly will have to meet to elect a president, and appoint the prime minister of the future local government.
It should be Michelle O'Neill, vice-president of the Republican party Sinn Fein, big winner of the local elections in 2022, a first in the province.
The agreement is expected to reduce checks and red tape for goods transported from the island of Great Britain to Northern Ireland, a red line for unionists.
Questioning Brexit
Brussels has not reacted to these measures, which could call into question the agreements previously signed on the puzzle of the post-Brexit status of Northern Ireland, where peace remains fragile 25 years after the end of three decades of
“Troubles”
between predominantly Protestant unionists and Irish nationalist republicans, especially Catholics.
But the minister spoke of
“a common legal solution with the European Union”
on customs duty rates, suggesting that discussions were held with the Commission.
According to the British Minister for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris, the agreement reached on Tuesday will not require renegotiation with Brussels.
“Automatic alignment with EU legislation will no longer apply
,” he argued.
The agreement, however, appears to represent a modification of the Windsor Framework Agreement signed between the United Kingdom and the European Union in February 2023, which kept Northern Ireland within the EU single market for goods .
However, if this is the case, the changes would have to be approved by Brussels.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in a phone call on Wednesday that EU leaders
"will carefully analyze the texts published today
. "
The two men
“agreed on the great importance of seeing the Northern Ireland Executive restored and meeting the needs of the people of Northern Ireland
,” they added in a joint statement.
For more than two years, the absence of Parliament and a local executive, competent on many subjects such as education or health, has seriously disrupted public services in the province.
London has promised an envelope of 3.3 billion pounds (3.8 billion euros) in favor of the province once the assembly is reformed.