Party leader says regulation that legally defines and protects certain products that are tied to a geographical area is problematic
that legally defines and protects certain products would create significant problems for supply chains and the ability to market some products.
Under the rules of the Windsor Framework, the deal agreed by the British government to allay unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements, some EU laws still apply in Northern Ireland.‘I am a child of the Troubles. Ordinary boring government is much better’The framework contains mechanisms by which the Stormont Assembly can object to or consent to new or amended regulations. One of these is the applicability motion.
Mr Donaldson told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland the DUP believed the regulation would “create significant problems with our ability to market our products in Great Britain, which is our biggest market. “So, on the basis of our assessment, we feel that we should utilise the mechanisms that were agreed between the EU and the UK government and which created for the first time a democratic say in these matters. Let’s not forget that under the Northern Ireland protocol, Stormont had no say whatsoever,” Mr Donaldson said.
The Stormont Brake gives MLAs the right to object to changes to EU rules being imposed on Northern Ireland. The brake can be invoked only by London and not by Stormont When asked if the DUP was going to object to all new EU laws in relation to Northern Ireland, Mr Donaldson said the party would assess each law on its own merits.