Brexit presented unique complications for Northern Ireland, given its place in the United Kingdom and its open border with its EU-member neighbor, the Republic of Ireland. These complications led to the Northern Ireland Protocol which established a customs border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, significantly hindering Northern Ireland’s trade routes. By the end of this year, Northern Ireland’s government is set to vote on acceptance of the Windsor Framework, a trade agreement which would replace the Northern Ireland Protocol and remove the intra-UK customs border. Volume XLVIII staff member Jack Flanagan analyzes how the Windsor Framework alleviates several of the Protocol’s biggest pitfalls – and why the upcoming vote fills a democratic deficit relating to Northern Ireland’s position in the UK.
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