Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland

Both the United Kingdom and the European Union have acknowledged the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland. They have recognised the necessity of safeguarding the 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and protecting North–South cooperation.

This solution was found in the form of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which:

  • avoids a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, thereby enabling the smooth functioning of the all-island economy and safeguarding the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in all its dimensions;
  • ensures the integrity of the EU’s Single Market for goods, along with all the guarantees it offers in terms of consumer protection, public and animal health protection, and combating fraud and trafficking.

As a result of the protocol, Northern Ireland has in effect remained in the EU’s single market for goods. This allows goods to flow between Northern Ireland and Ireland and the rest of the EU as they did while the United Kingdom was a member of the EU, without customs checks, tariffs or new paperwork.

The EU’s rules on customs and regulation of agri-food products will continue to apply to goods arriving in Northern Ireland.

Its substantive provisions started to apply on 1 January 2021.

This collection is intended for informational purposes only. Its content is updated regularly, and it should be read in conjunction with the relevant provisions of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland and its annexes, in particular the notes/comments that define the application of certain legal acts for the purposes of the protocol


Below, you will find:

Key documents


Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community
Decision No 1/2023 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 laying down arrangements relating to the Windsor Framework [2023/819]
Recommendation No 1/2023 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on market surveillance and enforcement [2023/820]
Recommendation No 2/2023 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on Article 13(3a) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland [2023/821]
Joint Declaration No 1/2023 of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023
Joint Declaration of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on the application of Article 10(1) of the Windsor Framework (See Joint Declaration No 1/2023.)
Joint Declaration of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on Article 13(3a) of the Windsor Framework (See Joint Declaration No 1/2023.)
Joint Declaration No 2/2023 of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023
Joint Declaration of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on the VAT regime for goods not being at risk for the Union’s internal market and on the VAT arrangements for cross-border refunds
Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on market surveillance and enforcement
Unilateral Declaration by the Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 taking note of the Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on market surveillance and enforcement
Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on export procedures for goods moving from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom
Unilateral Declaration by the Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 taking note of the Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on export procedures for goods moving from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom
Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on the democratic consent mechanism in Article 18 of the Windsor Framework (See Joint Declaration No 1/2023.)
Unilateral Declaration by the Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 taking note of the Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on the democratic consent mechanism in Article 18 of the Windsor Framework (See Joint Declaration No 1/2023.)
Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on strengthening enforcement action for goods moved in parcels from another part of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland
Unilateral Declaration by the Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 taking note of the Unilateral Declaration by the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023 on strengthening enforcement action for goods moved in parcels from another part of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland
Decision No 1/2022 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 21 February 2022 amending the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [2022/291]
Decision No 2/2022 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Communi of 21 February 2022 amending Decision No 7/2020 establishing a list of 25 persons who are willing and able to serve as members of an arbitration panel under the Agreement (2022/292)
Decision No 1/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 12 June 2020 amending the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [2020/1022]
Decision No 2/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 17 December 2020 setting the date from which the provisions of Title III of Part Two of the Agreement shall apply to the nationals of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, and the Swiss Confederation [2020/2246]
Decision No 3/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 17 December 2020 amending the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland to the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [2020/2247]
Decision No 4/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 17 December 2020 on the determination of goods not at risk [2020/2248]
Decision No 5/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 17 December 2020 determining the initial maximum exempted overall annual level of support and the initial minimum percentage referred to in Article 10(2) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [2020/2249]
Decision No 6/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 17 December 2020 providing for the practical working arrangements relating to the exercise of the rights of Union representatives referred to in Article 12(2) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland [2020/2250]
Decision No 7/2020 of the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 22 December 2020 establishing a list of 25 persons who are willing and able to serve as members of an arbitration panel under the Agreement [2020/2251]
Council Decision (EU) 2020/135 of 30 January 2020 on the conclusion of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Text with EEA relevance)
Council Decision (EU) 2019/274 of 11 January 2019 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union and of the European Atomic Energy Community, of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Text with EEA relevance.)
Council Decision (EU) 2019/642 of 13 April 2019 amending Decision (EU) 2019/274 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union and of the European Atomic Energy Community, of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Text with EEA relevance.)

Summaries of EU legislation