How will Brexit deal affect people in Northern Ireland from January 1?

 The changes are due to come into effect from January 1

By

Brendan Hughes

• 11:20, 30 DEC 2020

Special arrangements were already secured for Northern Ireland before the UK-EU trade deal was agreed (Image: Getty)

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?

Stock image (Image: Getty Images)

 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?

Stock image (Image: Getty Images)

 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?

Stock image (Image: Getty Images)

 

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

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By

Brendan Hughes

• 19:53, 30 DEC 2020

Parliament Buildings, Stormont (Image: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye)

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.

Published

1 hour ago

Section

BBC News

Subsection

Northern Ireland   3 January 2021 11:09

UK pulls out of EU’s ‘extremely expensive’ Erasmus scheme

 UK’s replacement program will be called Turing scheme, Boris Johnson announces.

The U.K. has withdrawn from the Erasmus+ university-exchange scheme | Image via iStock

BY CRISTINA GALLARDO

December 24, 2020 6:26 pm

LONDON — British students will not be able to study at European universities with an Erasmus+ grant from 2021 and neither will EU students in the U.K., after the U.K. declined to continue participating in the EU’s flagship student mobility scheme.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed news first reported by POLITICO that a deal with the EU on Erasmus+ had been impossible because it was deemed by London as too expensive.

However, he confirmed plans to launch a domestic scheme to help British students going to universities in and out of Europe. It will be called the Turing scheme, after mathematician Alan Turing, Johnson announced.

Speaking at a press conference from inside Downing Street on Thursday, Johnson said breaking away from Erasmus+ was a “tough decision."

“The issue really was that the U.K. is a massive net contributor to the continent’s higher-education economy because over the last decades we had so many EU nationals, which has been a wonderful thing, but our arrangements mean the U.K. exchequer more or less loses out on the deal,” Johnson said. “Erasmus was also extremely expensive.”

The lack of a deal to participate in Erasmus+ is particularly irritating for British students because five non-EU countries do take part in the scheme, including Turkey, North Macedonia and Switzerland. However, in previous years, the U.K. received almost twice as many students as it sent away.

"Ending UK participation in Erasmus  - an initiative that has expanded opportunities and horizons for so many young people - is cultural vandalism by the UK government," Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter.

Matt Crilly, president of the National Union of Students of Scotland, said failure to reach a deal on Erasmus+ was “disappointing.”

“The Erasmus funding grants help open up international study opportunities for folk who may otherwise not be able to afford it,” he said.

Expectations for a deal on Erasmus+ remained low throughout the year, after the U.K. sought ways to limit the cost of its association and pressed ahead with plans for a domestic scheme in case talks broke down.

“While the announcement that the U.K. will now not be participating in Erasmus+ is disappointing, we are pleased that the prime minister has committed to a new U.K. program to fund global mobility,” said Vivienne Stern, director of the international arm of the vice chancellors group Universities UK. “We now ask the U.K. government to quickly provide clarity on this Erasmus+ domestic alternative, and that it be ambitious and fully funded.”

The EU had offered Britain access to the entire program for seven years, in exchange for a fee which would be calculated on the basis of GDP. The U.K., however, preferred more time-limited participation, and was only interested in the mobility element of the scheme, by far the biggest part — the scheme also funds other higher-education activities such as exchange of best practices by university managers. This would have allowed Britain to save taxpayers’ money but there was no precedent of partial association to Erasmus+.

U.K. Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed funding for an alternative to Erasmus+ in the one-year spending review in November. Under the British student-mobility program, the U.K. government would fund British students to go abroad but would not be expected to support EU students taking up courses in British universities.

https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-students-lose-participation-in-eu-erasmus-university-exchange-scheme/

Scotland could sign up to EU student scheme 'unilaterally'

EU students were today assured they can continue to study in Scotland despite no commitment from the UK government that it will continue to participate in the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme.

Gina Davidson
4 hrs ago

© Provided by The Scotsman

Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead told students and staff at Aberdeen University - which has one of the largest European campus populations in Scotland - the government was "stepping up efforts" to ensure Scottish universities remain open to EU students.

The Erasmus+ scheme, the EU’s flagship cultural and educational project which has run for 30 years, will end when the transition period comes to a close at the end of this year.

An amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, which would have mandated the government to continue to seek full membership of the programme after Brexit, was defeated last month, throwing the future of the educational partnership into doubt. However Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said he will look at "successor schemes".

Proportionally more Scots take part in Erasmus+ than from any other country in the UK, with more than 2,000 Scottish students enrolling each year. Between 2014 and 2018, 14,000 Scots used the EU scheme, securing over 90 million Euros in funding. And since the beginning of the current Erasmus+ programme in 2014 around 12,000 EU students have come to study in Scotland.

© Getty LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 21, 2020: Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson arrives in Downing Street in central London to attend a Cabinet meeting on 21 January, 2020 in London, England.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Wiktor Szymanowicz / Barcroft Media (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Aberdeen University enrolled 2,655 students from 33 countries through Erasmus+ at the start of the current academic year, and a total of 709 staff - 17 per cent of its workforce - also come from the EU.

Today Mr Lochhead told students that should the UK government continue to refuse to sign up to Erasmus+, the Scottish Government will seek to do so "unilaterally".

Non-EU members can "partner" with the scheme subject to criteria, but there are no current partners who are not sovereign states, or whose territory is not "recognised by international law".

Mr Lochhead said: “Scotland is an open and inclusive country. EU students will always be welcome here and today we are stepping up our efforts to ensure our universities are seen across Europe as open for business.

“Thousands of Scottish students, teachers and young people have benefited from the popular Erasmus+ scheme, while at the same time our campuses and country have been enriched by EU nationals choosing to live and study here.

“This much-cherished and respected learning, training and cultural programme is at serious risk – and we are clear that it must continue. Over the coming weeks we will make the case strongly to the UK Government that continued association with Erasmus+ is of the utmost importance.

“In the event the UK Government decides to abandon the programme, we will also be looking at the possibility of Scotland associating unilaterally.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-could-sign-up-to-eu-student-scheme-unilaterally/ar-BBZB6r1