The document is mostly a list of problems, starting off with this one
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The mention of 'the courts' should remind us that none of the legal challenges have found the Protocol in contravention of UK laws, most recently in the Court of Appeal
The Ulster references don't lead to anything public, but the Strathclyde piece does make clear that costs are relative to no Brexit, which is possibly not quite what the DUP is aiming for
Slightly hard to categorise these measures, but roughly:
- 6 items of promised legislation
- 5 new institutional arrangements
- 5 commitments/promises on things (not) to do
- 4 ongoing pieces of work
- 2 procedural changes
- 1 clarification
- 1 relabelling
Lots of talk about regulatory alignment right now, so here's a go at unpacking what it involves, and what happens when you step away.
Let’s start with a model world, with 3 states
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In this world, each state has some different regulations (each arrow): how much arrow point in the same direction shows how much they match up with their counterpart in other countries
(yes, it's more complicated than this, but you get the drift)
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Each of these regulations forms some kind of barrier to trade
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While not unprecedented, it's unusual for such a letter to be written: treat it as a demonstration of collective intent and openness
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For those in the UK unfamiliar with #EuropeDay, it's the main occasion when the EU recalls its roots in the 1950 Schuman Declaration as a peace project, hence the opening of the letter