16 May 2023 - Windsor Framework - Oral evidence

Background

The Windsor Framework was announced by the UK and the EU on 27 February 2023 as “a set of meaningful changes to the Protocol and its operation which will provide lasting certainty and stability for citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland.” The Sub-Committee launched its inquiry on 17 March, and has already received oral and written evidence from a variety of business representatives, political representatives and academic and legal experts. The evidence session with the Foreign Secretary is the final public oral evidence session for this inquiry. The Sub-Committee aims to publish its findings by the summer recess.

Possible questions

The Committee will ask the Foreign Secretary about:

• The process by which agreement on the Windsor Framework was reached between the UK and the EU
• Concerns that the Stormont Brake will have a limited impact on the democratic deficit under the Protocol
• How the Windsor Framework meets the UK and EU’s joint commitment to protect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement
• Concerns that only a narrow range of businesses will be able to access the Windsor Framework’s ‘green lane’
• Consultation with business about the new labelling requirements
• Whether the Windsor Framework’s arrangements concerning parcel deliveries, plants, seeds, machinery and trees leave any issues unresolved
• When and in what ways will consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland see a benefit from the Windsor Framework’s new VAT flexibilities
• The legal and practical impact of the Windsor Framework’s provisions on State aid
• How the Government will monitor and manage regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• The basis for the Government’s reference to the removal of 1,700 pages of EU law applying to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework
• The role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) under the Framework
• How the Government intends to enhance engagement with Northern Ireland stakeholders, including businesses and civil society
• The implications of the Windsor Framework for the wider UK-EU relationship.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees