The European Union is “damaging the peace process” in Northern Ireland through its actions following Brexit, the region’s environment minister has said. Former DUP leader Edwin Poots answered questions at Stormont about the Northern Ireland Protocol and his party’s decision to withdraw from north/south political bodies. The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as a way to maintain a free-flowing land border on the island of Ireland after Brexit. Unionists in Northern Ireland have been vehemently opposed to its terms, which see additional checks on goods arriving to the region from the rest of the UK. Mr Poots said: “It will have considerably less of an impact than the Northern Ireland Protocol; well over 70% of our goods which come into Northern Ireland come in from Great Britain, some 419,000 HGVs per annum.

Source: Irish Examiner September 14, 2021 15:22 UTC