The changes are due to come into effect from January 1
- 11:20, 30 DEC 2020
From Friday, New Year's Day 2021, people in Northern Ireland will begin to see changes to everyday life as a result of Brexit.
The UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in June 2016, but the practical out-workings of that decision are only just beginning.
While Brexit technically happened 11 months ago, the UK has been in a standstill transition period during which negotiations were held on a future trading relationship.
This post-Brexit trade deal was finally agreed on Christmas Eve, running to more than 1,200 pages.
While the deal still has to be voted for in the House of Commons, it is expected to comfortably pass due to the Conservative Party's majority and support from Labour.
Special arrangements were already secured for Northern Ireland as a result of 2019's Withdrawal Agreement which formally removed the UK from the European trading bloc.
It included the Northern Ireland Protocol, aimed at preventing a hard land border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
The arrangement involves keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods and applying EU customs rules at its ports - meaning additional checks for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.
Here is a rundown of the changes people in Northern Ireland can expect from January 1.
What will happen to my regular grocery shop?
The trade deal means no extra charges (tariffs) on goods or limits on the amount that can be traded (quotas) between the UK and EU.
Supermarkets will be given a "grace period" of several months to avoid any disruption to food supplies transported from Britain to Northern Ireland after January 1.
Tesco chairman John Allan has said any changes to food prices after Brexit will likely be "very modest indeed" and any differences to "intra-Ireland" trade will be "marginal".
Is travel to the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and mainland Europe affected?
Citizens of the UK and Ireland can still move freely to live, work and study within the two jurisdictions due to their longstanding Common Travel Area arrangement predating EU membership.
People in Northern Ireland can also use their rights under the Good Friday Agreement to retain freedom of movement in the EU, as the Agreement allows people from Northern Ireland to be British, Irish or both.
Irish passport holders in Northern Ireland can continue to move and reside freely within the EU.
But British passport holders in Northern Ireland lose free movement entitlements to mainland EU. They are being advised to ensure their passports have at least six months' validity and were issued less than 10 years ago, and they will need a visa for stays in mainland EU of longer than 90 days in every 180-day period.
UK passport holders will also no longer be able to use the EU passport queue at borders and airports.
What about travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland?
While nothing changes for NI to GB travel, there will be differences in the opposite direction.
This is because while Britain is leaving the EU customs union and single market, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of these rules.
This will include food products - such as meat, fish and eggs - arriving from Britain into Northern Ireland facing checks at ports to ensure they comply with EU standards.
Giving a simple example of the implications for travellers going from GB to NI, travel writer Simon Calder told the BBC: "You won't be able to bring any ham or cheese sandwiches because they are meat and dairy."
Is my driving licence valid for driving while travelling in the EU?
A driving licence from Northern Ireland will continue to be valid for driving in the EU, including the Republic of Ireland.
Drivers from Northern Ireland travelling across the border will not need an International Driving Permit (IDP). However, motorists who only have a paper licence will need an IDP in some EU countries.
A green card from your insurer will be needed for driving in the Republic and mainland Europe, according to the Irish government website.
Residents in the Republic who hold a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence will need to contact the National Driver Licence Service to exchange their licence as it will not be valid from January 1.
The UK government has advised that arrangements for EU licence holders visiting or living in the UK will not change.
What happens to EU pet passports?
There will be no changes to the current rules for Northern Ireland pet owners travelling to the Republic or the rest of the EU.
Current EU pet passports will no longer be valid from January 1, but pet owners in Northern Ireland can contact their vet to update their pet passport to allow for continued travel.
However, there will be changes for travel with pets from Britain into Northern Ireland or the EU.
Owners of dogs, cats or ferrets must ensure measures are taken including having their pets are microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.
Is using my mobile phone abroad going to cost more?
At least for now, it should not become more expensive.
The UK's four main providers - O2, EE, Vodafone and Three - say they have no plans to reintroduce roaming charges, but they would be free to do so in future.
The British government has set a cap of £45 (€50) in any billing period in a bid to protect against excessive fees.
Will European health insurance cards still work?
European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) cards, which allow state-provided emergency medical care in Europe, will remain valid until they expire.
The UK government has said it will be replaced by its own UK Global Health Insurance Card, the details of which have yet to be finalised.
Either way, the Irish government has committed to funding the EHIC scheme for people in Northern Ireland.
Can I study in mainland Europe?
While students at universities in Britain will no longer be able to take part in the Erasmus exchange programme, in Northern Ireland students will still be eligible due to an Irish government funding pledge worth an estimated €2.1m per year.
Erasmus allows students to study or undertake a work placement in another EU member state while having their fees covered.
Does duty-free shopping make a return?
Duty-free sales return for passengers travelling between Ireland and Britain, but it will not apply for travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
According to the UK government website, travellers returning from the EU will have a new duty-free allowance of 200 cigarettes; nine litres of sparkling wine or four litres of spirits; 18 litres of still wine; and 42 litres of beer.
Can businesses in Northern Ireland still trade with the Republic, Britain and mainland Europe?
Britain is no longer be part of the EU's Single Market and Customs Union, but Northern Ireland will retain some ties to the EU.
The Northern Ireland Protocol means the region remains in the EU's single market for goods and applies EU customs rules at its ports.
This means no new checks or controls for north-south trade on the island of Ireland.
However, goods arriving from Britain will face some checks and controls at Northern Ireland's ports from January 1 .
How is the fisheries trade affected in Northern Ireland?
Fishing rights was a key sticking point in negotiations on a UK-EU trade deal.
The UK will have control over its fishing grounds, but EU boats will be able to fish in UK waters for some years to come at least.
Some 25% of the value of EU boats' current catch will be made available for UK fishing boats over a five-and-a-half-year phasing-in period.
After that, the UK and EU will regularly negotiate on access to each other's waters, which would include Northern Ireland.
https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/how-brexit-deal-affect-people-19532773
Northern Ireland Assembly votes against Boris Johnson's post-Brexit trade deal
MLAs held the debate as a majority of MPs backed a bill bringing the trade deal into UK law
The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected the UK government's post- Brexit trade deal with the European Union.
The vote will not affect the end of the transition period later this week, but Stormont speaker Alex Maskey will convey the Assembly's view to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
MLAs held the debate as an overwhelming majority of MPs at Westminster backed a bill bringing the trade deal into UK law.
The European Union (Future Relationship) Bill was passed by 521 to 73 votes in the House of Commons.
All of Northern Ireland's MPs who take their seats at Westminster voted against the trade deal.
In Belfast, MLAs voted by 47 to 38 in favour of an SDLP -amended motion rejecting Brexit and withholding consent for the legislation.
The Assembly was recalled early from recess by the first and deputy first ministers to debate the tariff-free trade deal announced on Christmas Eve.
There was criticism of the deal from each of the parties represented in the Assembly.
First Minister Arlene Foster moved the original motion, which was simply that the Assembly would note the UK-EU trade deal.
The DUP leader said: "A free-trade deal is better than no deal, but for Northern Ireland this deal does not undo the detrimental aspects of the Protocol."
While Britain is leaving the EU customs union and single market, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of these rules under the Northern Ireland Protocol secured in 2019's Withdrawal Agreement.
The arrangement, which aims to prevent a hard land border with the Irish Republic, will mean additional checks for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, vice-president of Sinn Féin, said: "There is no good Brexit for the people of the island of Ireland from whatever tradition or culture you may come from."
Four amendments were put forward, which all fell bar the fourth which was proposed by the SDLP:
- The first amendment, proposed by Sinn Féin, called for the "full implementation of the Protocol to mitigate some of the most negative impacts of Brexit". It fell by 26 votes to 38.
- The second, proposed by the UUP, called for safeguards to protect trade for at least a year. It fell by 38 votes to 49.
- The third, proposed by DUP MLAs, called for the Executive to work with the UK government to "mitigate against those damaging outcomes flowing from the protocol". It fell by 37 votes to 49.
- The successful SDLP motion rejected Brexit in line with the EU referendum result in Northern Ireland, called for the implementation of the Protocol, and for the Assembly to "decline legislative consent to the British government to impose the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill, their inferior trade deal and their Brexit against the will of the people of Northern Ireland".
Speaking outside the chamber, SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon said Stormont had set an "important precedent".
"The British government must accept that it does not have the support or the confidence of the people of Northern Ireland for their Brexit," she said.
In the Commons, DUP chief whip Sammy Wilson said the "euphoria" of leaving the EU was "tinged with sadness" because of the Prime Minister's deal.
"Northern Ireland will not enjoy all the benefits of this deal, and indeed we will still find ourselves in many ways tied to some of the restrictions of EU membership," he said.
Mr Wilson denied the deal damages the Union, insisting Northern Ireland will remain in the UK rather than "joining the Irish Republic, a small nation which will bob about in the storms of economic chaos".
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood rejected the Brexit deal, saying that Northern Ireland has "chosen a different path to the one driven by English nationalism".
He told MPs he believes the "United Kingdom is coming to an end" and it brought a responsibility to "conduct the coming conversation with patience, care and compassion".
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the Conservative government "owns this deal" and he was not prepared to "acquiesce in a monumental act of self-harm".
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis insisted the deal will benefit the region.
He also rejected the suggestion that Brexit could hasten the end of the union between Northern Ireland and Britain.
"I fundamentally disagree with that, I think actually quite the opposite," he told media in a virtual press conference.
He added: "As we leave the transition period, Northern Ireland is going to have this phenomenal benefit of being not just part of the UK customs territory and single market, but also that ability to trade freely with the EU.
"It's going to have a unique position that if it wasn't part of the United Kingdom, it wouldn't have."
https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/northern-ireland-assembly-votes-against-19541251
Arlene Foster: Brexit is a 'gateway of opportunity'
First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster spoke to the BBC's Andrew Marr about the UK's current Brexit situation and Northern Ireland's current border control.
