An upcoming UK-EU summit is poised to facilitate an agreement significantly mitigating the impact of the Irish Sea border.
The UK aims to redefine its post-Brexit relationship with the European Union after a period of strained relations.
Monday’s summit is anticipated to yield a preliminary agreement on trade matters, encompassing food and agricultural products.
A comprehensive agri-food deal, potentially finalized later this year, would lessen the need for checks and controls on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
This could eliminate “Not for EU” labeling and most physical goods checks.
A Belfast food business expressed urgency for such a reset, highlighting the immediate need for support for small businesses.
BBC News NI initially interviewed Arcadia Deli owners in 2020, before the Irish Sea border’s implementation. They’ve continually struggled with import processes from GB.
Co-owner Laura Graham-Brown noted that recent sea border regulations affecting parcels have exacerbated the situation.
“Our English suppliers have suspended shipments to Northern Ireland pending clarification on simplified procedures,” she stated.
“This impacts our largest distributor, significantly depleting our stock.”
While welcoming any improvement, she emphasized the need for swift action.
“We simply want to sell cheese and olives. Restocking our shelves requires immediate action,” she added.
The agreement’s scope remains uncertain; it wouldn’t fully eliminate the Irish Sea border.
Stuart Anderson of NI Chamber of Commerce indicated businesses will require time to analyze any deal’s details.
“NI Chamber has urged the UK government for an ambitious agreement substantially reducing bureaucracy for our agri-food supply chain,” he said.
This follows a Queen’s University Belfast poll revealing declining unionist support for the Windsor Framework.
Professor David Phinnemore observed a “significant decrease” in already limited unionist support, particularly among those identifying as “slightly unionist”.
Support within this group dropped from 51% to 26% over the past year.
Prof Phinnemore stated: “Reversing this trend necessitates a closer UK-EU relationship reducing GB-NI trade obstacles.”
The Labour government pledged to seek a new agri-food agreement aiming to “eliminate most border checks stemming from the Tory Brexit deal”.
While UK-wide, the impact would be greatest in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland remains effectively within the EU’s single market for goods, yet its supermarkets primarily source from the UK.
The Centre for European Reform (CER) deemed an agri-food deal not “macroeconomically significant” for the UK overall, but a “major benefit” for NI.
It added: “Closer UK-EU regulatory alignment reduces the need for border controls on goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.”
The Irish Sea border continues to impact Northern Ireland’s politics and economy.
Originating from a 2019 EU-UK Brexit deal, revised in 2023, it’s now known as the Windsor Framework.
Maintaining an open NI-Republic of Ireland border necessitated NI adhering to many EU goods regulations.
Goods from the rest of the UK entering NI undergo checks to ensure EU compliance.
Many Northern Ireland nationalists view this as a necessary compromise minimizing Brexit’s impact on the island.
Conversely, many unionists see it as a constitutional affront undermining NI’s UK position.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the largest unionist party, stalled NI’s power-sharing government from 2022-2024 in protest.
EU agri-food deals fall into two categories: New Zealand-style or Swiss-style.
The EU-New Zealand deal recognizes both parties’ high food standards, reducing checks and paperwork. However, New Zealand retains independent standards, with some goods still checked upon entry to the EU.
In contrast, Swiss-EU agri-food trade lacks regulatory border controls. This stems from Switzerland’s near-complete adherence to EU rules, with limited input on setting them.
Switzerland dynamically aligns its laws with EU legislation and accepts European Court of Justice oversight.
A Swiss-style deal could effectively end controls on GB food entering NI.
The EU previously offered this to the UK, but the government’s stance remained ambiguous. Recently, ministers have avoided ruling it out.
Such a deal would face opposition from Brexit supporters, viewing it as surrendering powers regained after leaving the EU.
The Irish Sea involves two borders.
One addresses product standards (legal sale), the other customs (tariff payment).
An agri-food deal would largely remove the standards border but leave the customs border intact.
GB businesses would still make customs declarations for goods to NI, risking delays due to paperwork errors.