Trade rules are notoriously complex. And so the political agreement represented by the Windsor Framework was always going to take time to bed down. A new report from the UK House of Lords Brexit committee provides some interesting perspectives and a generally balanced look at the issues. Above all, it outlines the work that still needs to be done by Britain and the EU to make the agreement work.
The report, the result of detailed hearings with businesses and representative groups, is clear that the framework is an improvement on the original Northern Ireland Protocol, the hastily- conceived deal to allow the UK to proceed with its exit from the EU. However it adds that it does not solve all the problems which the protocol raised . Nor could it, given the inevitable and inescapable problems created by Brexit in the trade arena.
The framework has helped in key areas, notably by creating the green lane/red lane system, designed to allow goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland to move freely, significantly cutting bureaucracy. Issues remain to be sorted here the report says and some confusion remains.
There are also specific issues in areas like labelling and livestock movement which need to be clarified .And the rules governing veterinary medicines imported from Britain remain in question. Here a grace period has been given until the end of 2025 but, as things now stand, after this a lot of vital veterinary medicines would not be available.
Reading the report, it is also clear that the smooth working of the framework will depend in large part on how Brexit itself evolves. If the UK as a whole diverges from EU rules in key areas, then businesses in Northern Ireland are worried that they will end up in a kind of " no man’s land” as the EU insists on tighter rules to safeguard the single market. On the other hand, if UK rules do not diverge, then businesses in the North face a much better chance of taking advantage of their unique access to the UK and EU markets. Staying broadly aligned with EU rules would also benefit the wider UK economy, but whether pragmatism wins out remains to be seen.