Northern Ireland and Ireland: position paper

Author (Corporate) ,
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Series Title
Series Details August 2017
Publication Date 16/08/2017
Content Type

The United Kingdom government issued on the 16 August 2017 the second of a series of papers putting forward its negotiating position on the UK’s future partnership with the European Union (EU).* It was published in the context of the negotiations being undertaken with the EU for the UK to leave the union following the Brexit referendum vote of June 2016.

This position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland outlined the UK’s position on addressing the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and the land border with Ireland.

The position paper — which had been published ahead of the August 2017 negotiating round between the EU and UK — stated that the Government would protect the Common Travel Area (CTA) and associated rights for UK and Irish citizens, and put upholding the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement at the heart of its Exit negotiations.

The paper also put forward proposals on avoiding a hard border on the movement of goods — making clear the UK’s position that there should be no physical infrastructure at the border — and planned to preserve the wide range of institutional cooperation between Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain including for the energy market.

* the first position paper had been published on the 15 August 2017 and set out UK government proposals for a future customs relationship with the EU. All the positions papers published in August 2017 by the UK government can be accessed here.

Source Link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-ireland-and-ireland-a-position-paper
Related Links
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BBC News, 16.08.17: UK Brexit position paper opposes Irish border posts http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40941393
The Guardian, 16.08.17: [Opinion]: The UK government’s border proposals for Ireland are absurd (by Fintan O'Toole) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/16/uk-government-border-proposals-ireland-brexit-position-paper
EUObserver, 16.08.17: UK seeks 'unprecedented' Irish border deal https://euobserver.com/uk-referendum/138746
EurActiv, 16.08.17: UK links trade to post-Brexit Irish border plans http://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/uk-links-trade-to-post-brexit-irish-border-plans/
Politico, 16.08.17: Progress, but no solution to Ireland’s Brexit problem http://www.politico.eu/article/progress-but-no-solution-to-irelands-brexit-problem/
The Conversation, 17.08.17: Northern Ireland’s Brexit border: the promise of invisibility https://theconversation.com/northern-irelands-brexit-border-the-promise-of-invisibility-82616
Blog: EU Law Analysis, 22.08.17: The UK government’s position paper on Northern Ireland after Brexit – some initial thoughts http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/the-uk-governments-position-paper-on.html
ESO: Background information: Brexit Negotiations: The Irish border question http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-negotiations-the-irish-border-question/
ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/
ESO: Background information: Speech by the Taoiseach Mr. Leo Varadkar TD, Queen's University, Friday 4 August 2017 - 'The Future of Relationships North and South', 4 August 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-by-the-taoiseach-mr-leo-varadkar-td-queens-university-friday-4-august-2017-the-future-of-relationships-north-and-south/
UK: GOV.UK: Department for Exiting the European Union / Northern Ireland Office: News, 16.08.17: Pledge to protect Belfast Agreement and Common Travel Area in new position paper https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pledge-to-protect-belfast-agreement-and-common-travel-area-in-new-position-paper
Blog: LSE Brexit 05.09.17: Softening a hard border: lessons from North America for post-Brexit Ireland http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/09/05/softening-a-hard-border-lessons-from-north-america-for-post-brexit-ireland/
ESO: Key Source: The impact of Brexit in Ireland http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-impact-of-brexit-in-ireland/
Full Fact: Europe: EU Immigration: The Irish border and Brexit https://fullfact.org/europe/eu-referendum-and-irish-border/
Euro|Topics: Debates, August 2017: Border guards in Ireland again? http://www.eurotopics.net/en/184508/border-guards-in-ireland-again
Blog: LSE Brexit, 17.08.17: UK position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland is both conciliatory and vague http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/08/17/uk-position-paper-on-northern-ireland-and-ireland-is-both-conciliatory-and-vague/
Spiegel Online International, 24.08.17: Borderline Insanity. What Does Brexit Mean for Northern Ireland? http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/northern-ireland-creating-headaches-for-brexit-architects-a-1164049.html
BBC News, 07.09.17: EU 'worried' by UK's Irish border proposals http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41183041
The Guardian, 06.09.17: New leak of Brexit papers reveals fissures between Britain and EU https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/sep/06/britain-must-solve-problem-of-irish-border-post-brexit-say-leaked-eu-papers
Blog: Politics.co.uk, 16.08.17: Irish border paper: Britain is hostage to its own delusions http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2017/08/16/irish-border-paper-shows-britain-is-hostage-to-its-own-delus

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