Engagement is vital to maintaining peace and stability after Brexit, writes Noelle O Connell. O’Connell is CEO of European Movement Ireland and Vice President of European Movement International.

Brexit has upended the delicate balance that has led to peace and relative stability in Northern Ireland.  Efforts to align the maintenance of peace with the reality of Brexit has created a situation of worrying instability. This has arisen because the UK and Ireland’s membership of the EU facilitated the peace process. It allowed for an open border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, including the free flow of goods and services and regulatory alignment, and therefore reduced the possibilities for friction and tension.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU created uncertainty and instability. The political and procedural arrangements which had facilitated peace were undermined because of the decision. Therefore, the Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed by the UK Government and the EU as the ‘least worst,’ option to mitigate the negative impacts of Brexit. Its primary purpose is to avoid the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland. It does this by facilitating Northern Ireland’s alignment to the EU Customs Union.

Read the full article on the website of the European Movement UK here.