Brexit Brief 129

This week marks the 24th Anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to play out, Taoiseach Micheál Martin asserted that “the war in Ukraine is a stark reminder that peace and democracy cannot be taken for granted.”

In Northern Ireland, increasing attention has turned to the Assembly elections scheduled for 05 May as the findings of a Liverpool University/Irish News opinion poll shows that unionist concern about the Protocol is rising.

Against this backdrop, a Hoax Bomb alert involving Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney on a visit to Northern Ireland has raised concerns about a return to violence while in London, there is growing pressure on the Government from the right wing of the Conservative Party to trigger Article 16 of the Protocol soon after the Assembly elections.

This issue of the Brexit Brief reviews the current state of play in the Protocol discussions and rounds up the latest developments in the wider EU-UK and British-Irish relationships.