UK, EU adopt new post-Brexit "Windsor Framework" deal-Xinhua

UK, EU adopt new post-Brexit "Windsor Framework" deal

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-03-25 05:38:15

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L, Rear) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R, Rear) attend a joint press conference in Windsor, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

According to their joint statement, both the UK and the EU had taken a "positive approach" and "reaffirmed their intent" to use the framework to resolve any future trade issues.

LONDON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- A new deal aimed at easing post-Brexit trade tensions in Northern Ireland was formally adopted on Friday by the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), the parties announced in a joint statement.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic signed off the deal during their meeting in London. According to their joint statement, both the UK and the EU had taken a "positive approach" and "reaffirmed their intent" to use the framework to resolve any future trade issues.

The content of the new deal, dubbed the "Windsor Framework," was finalized in late February after long negotiations. It aims to resolve the trading issues created by its predecessor, the Northern Ireland Protocol, which imposed border checks on British goods arriving in Northern Ireland.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Berkshire, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

As a central element of the new deal, the "Stormont Brake" -- taking on the Irish name of the Northern Ireland Assembly -- is intended to give Northern Ireland's lawmakers more say over EU rules set to apply in the region.

While Northern Ireland's political parties broadly support the framework, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has questioned how the "Stormont Brake" will operate. As a sign of protest, the party has refused to join the power-sharing government at the Stormont for over a year, undermining political stability.

A vehicle moves past a border sign near Newry, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, on June 14, 2022. (Photo by Colum Lynch/Xinhua)

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