At Smart Directions, we’re keen to help our customers to look ahead and prepare their businesses for trade in September and the new Windsor Framework.
Hang on chaps, we haven’t even had a summer yet!
Well this is pretty important, so you’ll have to forgive us for packing away the deckchairs early!
From September 2024, new arrangements for sending parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will have come into effect. Someone decided that we should call it the Windsor Framework*. We’re not keen, but never mind. It’s the sparkly new trade agreement between Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the EU.
We know, exciting stuff. So why did things need to change?
It’s Brexit’s fault
Post Brexit, Northern Ireland chose to remain within the EU’s single market for goods (based on the Northern Ireland Protocol – which formed part of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement). One of the primary aims of this Protocol was to improve, or largely maintain, stability on the Island of Ireland. How? By not introducing a land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The Protocol was only supposed to be introduced as a temporary arrangement and would be reviewed in time.
What’s happened?
Basically, life happened. On February 27th 2023, the Government announced a new agreement called the Windsor Framework, set to be introduced by the following autumn. The agreement was made between the UK and the EU, clarifying the rules for moving shipments from GB to NI. The aim of the game is restoring the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market, safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place in the Union, and addressing the democratic deficit that was otherwise at the heart of the original Northern Ireland Protocol.
In other words, we sorted ourselves out and decided that it was time to make things a little easier for everyone else.
What does the Windsor Framework actually mean for your business?
Let’s summarise:
>> Goods destined to remain in NI will be able to move through a UK Internal Market System, so called the ‘’green lane’’
>> Goods at risk of moving to the Republic of Ireland or further to the EU will move through a ‘’red lane’’ and will be subject to full EU rules and controls
If you need a little bit of help reading between the lines…
Drop us a call. Our customer service team has read all the bits and pieces as homework, so you can take a look at our answers before worrying about what’s next. You’ll quite literally never meet a logistics partner so willing to delve into the nitty gritty to help our customers run more efficient and profitable businesses. Ok, maybe you will, but why would you want to?