Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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207. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which ongoing discussions continue around the Northern Ireland Protocol with the objective of ensuring continued access and opportunities for exporters north and south of the Border. [45169/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland was negotiated and agreed by this UK Government and by the European Union. It is the result of over four years of difficult negotiation with compromises on all sides. It was designed to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement, including avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, to protect vital all-island supply chains, and to ensure the integrity of the Single Market and Ireland’s place in it. 

By virtue of the Protocol, Northern Ireland effectively remains within the EU Single Market for the movement of goods. It also provides that the Union Customs Code continues to apply in respect of Northern Ireland – ensuring no customs processes are necessary for movements (in either direction) between Northern Ireland and the European Union, including Ireland. 

The Protocol has been of vital importance in protecting cross-border trade and all-island supply chains. Cross-border trade has grown significantly in the years since the Good Friday Agreement, strengthening a growing prosperity across the island of Ireland. This has been particularly important for small businesses, which account for the vast majority of cross-border trade. 

While EU-UK engagement is ongoing around implementation of the Protocol across a number of outstanding issues, ensuring continued free movement of goods North-South is not in question.

The Government dedicated substantial time and resources to ensuring that businesses were prepared for the post-Brexit context. For those trading on a cross-border basis, whether in goods or services, InterTrade Ireland’s Brexit Advisory Service also provides a range of practical advice, support, and information for businesses on Brexit related issues.