(14 October 2021) – The European Commission has proposed ‘bespoke arrangements’ to respond to the difficulties that people in Northern Ireland have been experiencing, by facilitating the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
The package proposes further flexibilities in the area of food, plant and animal health, customs, medicines and engagement with Northern Irish stakeholders.
It proposes a different model for the implementation of the Protocol, in which the flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland – in respect of goods destined to stay in Northern Ireland – is facilitated to a significant extent.
This facilitation is enabled by a series of safeguards and increased market surveillance to ensure the goods do not move into the EU’s Single Market.
The Irish government has voiced its support for the EU’s Northern Ireland protocol proposals.