There is a final agreement on the Northern Ireland border issue. The European Union had already agreed, and the British Parliament agreed with this assessment. This means that British goods destined for Northern Ireland no longer have to pass through a border checkpoint. This all has to do with the fact that Northern Ireland borders the European country of Ireland.
The deal goes both ways, according to UK and Brexit economist Stefan Koopman of Rabobank. Goods can be moved more easily from Northern Ireland to the UK. “The vote was 515-29 in favor of a deal,” he says. So bombing Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, among others, had little effect. A huge victory for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and it has never been so exciting.
Their strategy was to seek confrontation with the European Union, and it did not lead to anything.
Koopman points to the fact that Labor and Liberal Democrat MPs have already pledged to vote in favor of the agreement. According to the economist, this mood suggests that Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and other hardliners in the European Research Group are fighting a “back attack”. “And there is something sad about that in my opinion, because their strategy — which consisted mainly of seeking confrontation with the European Union — actually led nowhere.”
interest
And he stresses the importance of the trade agreement with the European Union, which is quite decent. “In any case, it is good that the relationship between the EU and the UK does not deteriorate further,” he adds. “But when there is less friction in trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, that will have a positive effect on the Northern Ireland economy.”
Also read | European Union countries agree to new agreements with Northern Ireland
As an example, Koopman cites the Northern Ireland business community, which has been campaigning for a similar deal for months and has also expressed support on several occasions.
social policy
He also believes that the importance of social policy should not be underestimated. “There is a fear among the Unionists that Northern Ireland will – certainly on the basis of the Old Deal – become more and more Irish and less British,” continues Koopman. “Because it would make it easier to deal with the Irish than with the British, but this deal should change that.”
Also read | Dutch-British Chamber of Commerce positive about Northern Ireland deal: ‘A very practical story’
So Koopman dares to put his hand in the fire that this deal symbolizes a structural improvement in the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. More so because the low point of mutual relationship is far behind us. “It was actually last summer, when Liz Truss took over from Boris Johnson,” he says. He describes the current Prime Minister Sunak as more pragmatic, “and he understands that there is no point in fanning the fire any further”.
Anti-EU rhetoric
According to Koopman, the British are increasingly discarding anti-EU rhetoric as a distraction from domestic problems, and he believes the British are largely done with it. And if Labor wins the election in two years’ time – as all the polls now indicate – you can really expect structural improvements. There will be no pro-EU campaign, but there will be more rapprochement.
