& I are presenting our Report on 'Brexit & the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement' to @EPInstitutional today. Find the report here: tinyurl.com/BrexitGFA
It's a long one, so here are a few key points... THREAD
It's a long one, so here are a few key points... THREAD
1. The Agreement approaches the conflict as a border Anything Anything that changes the nature of that border & relationship between UK & Ireland poses a challenge for the Agreement.
2. The EU is vital environment and model for the Agreement. No coincidence that British and Irish Govts declared their support for it 'as partners in the EU'. Need to minimise disruption to that environment to facilitate Agreement's implementation.
3. According to the Agreement, NI is not a domestic internal matter for UK (ref. principle of self-determination for peoples of island of Ireland) and ROI holds no irredentist claim over it (ref. principle of majority consent in NI). This should be borne in mind and respected.
4. The Agreement ensured NI cannot be addressed as a standalone matter but only in light of deep integration between these islands. Any solution for future has to incorporate aspects of each of the three Strands: internal NI, island of Ireland, UK/Ireland.
5. Customs and trade are but one part of the Brexit border conundrum. Progress from Phase 1 requires that the complexity of cross-border connections be recognised, directly addressed and protected.
6. The more divergence there is between UK and Ireland the greater the problem for NI. But for NI to have to choose between closeness to GB or IRL would contravene the spirit and tenets of the Agreement. Hence need for unique solution here.
7. There are a range of options. Success will depend on compromise and flexibility on both sides. Important to use Agreement as core to future arrangements, not as an add-on. It contains language, principles, institutions and ideas that are highly pertinent for Brexit context.
8. In sum, same message that @DPhinnemore & I have been giving for a while on this. But more detail here. And even more urgency now!
NI needs flexible & imaginative solutions. EU waiting for proposals. To find them, we should turn first to the 1998 Agreement.
NI needs flexible & imaginative solutions. EU waiting for proposals. To find them, we should turn first to the 1998 Agreement.
