FORMER US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has highlighted the benefits of Northern Ireland’s access to both EU and UK markets.
The recently announced Windsor Framework will mean most goods going between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will no longer need customs and regulatory checks – as long as they are not intended for the EU market and are certified as so.
Appearing on Sky News, Clinton said that Northern Ireland's unique situation is “the most amazing opportunity that I could imagine to become a magnet for business and investment".
Hilary Clinton, "If you look at the privileged access NI will now have, the UK and the EU markets, that is almost the most amazing opportunity that I could imagine, to become a magnet for business and investment." All of the UK had this before Brexit. pic.twitter.com/hxofCygsWr
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) April 23, 2023
Northern Ireland is still subject to EU rules for goods – despite the UK leaving the European Union – which protects cross-border trade with the Republic of Ireland, a bloc member.
There were concerns that a hard border would lead to the dissolution of the Good Friday Agreement.
US President Joe Biden visited Ireland earlier this month to mark the 25th anniversary of the agreement.
Like Scotland, Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU, which led the SNP asking to know why Scotland is being "denied" access to the EU single market while Northern Ireland is allowed special post-Brexit arrangements.
Clinton said that political leaders should embrace the current deal as it gives Northern Ireland “privileged access to not just to the UK market but trading partners of the UK and to the EU"
According to Bloomberg, Brexit is costing the UK economy £100 billion a year in lost output – with many experts also pointing to rising food costs and shortages partly being down to the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.
The economic impact of Brexit has also increased calls for Scotland to become an independent country and re-join the EU with First Minister Humza Yousaf calling Scotland a “proud European nation” during the SNP leadership debates.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was previously criticised for boasting about Northern Ireland's privileged position to have easy access to both the UK and EU markets, as many pointed out this was the case for all of the UK before Brexit.
In February, Sunak said: "Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position, the unique position in the entire world in having privileged access not just to the UK home market, which is the fifth biggest in the world, but also the European Union single market.
“Nobody else has that. No one – only you guys only here. And that is the prize. I can tell you, when I go around the world and talk to businesses, they say: ‘That’s interesting.’
"Nowhere else does that exist. It’s like the world’s most exciting economic zone.”
