Proposal for a Regulation on specific rules relating to the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the United Kingdom of certain consignments of retail goods, plants for planting, seed potatoes, machinery and certain vehicles operated for agricultural or forestry purposes, as well as non-commercial movements of certain pet animals into Northern Ireland

Summary:

Legislative initiative tabled by the European Commission on 27 February 2023, reflecting a political agreement on solutions covering food, plants, seeds and pet animals' issues. This is a text with EEA relevance.

Further information:

In accordance with the Withdrawal Agreement signed by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK), and in particular the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, certain EU legislative acts concerning the protection of public health and consumers apply to and in Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period provided for in the Agreement.

However, the UK voiced concerns that the Agreement imposes a disproportionately high administrative burden on the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK of certain goods subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures where the goods are destined for final consumers in Northern Ireland (NI) so that it undermines unnecessarily the place of Northern Ireland within the UK’s internal market. The UK also advised the European Commission that the entry into NI of seed potatoes would entail a low risk to the pest status of the island of Ireland. The UK also accepted that it bears the responsibility for protection public health and consumers in Northern Ireland.

Following several rounds of negotiations, the two sides agreed a comprehensive set of joint solutions to address everyday issues of communities in Northern Ireland, which also protect the integrity of both the EU and UK internal markets. This became generally known as the Windsor Framework, politically agreed in February 2023.

This draft law reflects the joint solutions on food, plants, seeds and pet animals' issues. It lays down specific rules relating to the entry into NI from other parts of the UK of certain consignments of retail goods, plants for planting, machinery and vehicles, which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes, seed potatoes, as well as non-commercial movements of pet animals. It was adopted by the European Commission on 27 February 2023.

• Primary Source

Official

European Parliament: Legislative Observatory: Procedure File for Proposal on Specific rules relating to the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the United Kingdom of certain consignments of retail goods, plants for planting, seed potatoes, machinery and certain vehicles operated for agricultural or forestry purposes, as well as non-commercial movements of certain pet animals into Northern Ireland (2023/0062(COD)) https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?lang=en&reference=2023/0062(COD)

European Commission: Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-non-eu-countries/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-withdrawal-agreement/protocol-ireland-and-northern-ireland_en

European Commission: Press Release, 27/02/2023: A new way forward on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: political agreement in principle on the Windsor Framework https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_1268

---

ESO Records

UK Government: The Windsor Framework. A new way forward https://www.europeansources.info/record/the-windsor-framework-a-new-way-forward/

---