The Northern Ireland Protocol aims to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open, implement the Belfast Agreement, maintain the integrity of the single market, and avoid the establishment of a hard border. The protocol establishes customs checkpoints in the Irish Sea, creating a new "hard border" between the UK and Northern Ireland and increasing trade barriers. In December 2020, the UK and the EU reached a consensus on the implementation of the protocol, granting a grace period for agricultural products and other products. However, since its implementation on January 1, 2021, there has been a political dispute between the two sides over the execution method, leading to difficulties in the UK EU relationship. On February 27, 2023, the two sides reached the "Windsor Framework" agreement to ease the trade dispute in Northern Ireland. Although the agreement does not involve China, it may affect the relationship between China and Western countries and become a turning point. The signing of the agreement marks a new stage in the development of transatlantic relations, involving relationships between the UK and Europe, the UK and the US, and the US and Europe. Previously, the Northern Ireland issue constrained cooperation between the UK and Europe, as well as between the UK and the US. The agreement promotes reconciliation between Britain and Europe, strengthens Anglo American relations, and enhances transatlantic unity. An in-depth analysis of the Windsor Framework Agreement is of great significance for accurately determining the direction of transatlantic relations and formulating response strategies.

1、 Windsor Framework Agreement and New Developments in Resolving the Northern Ireland Issue between the UK and the EU

The Windsor Framework Agreement has made new progress in resolving the differences between the UK and the EU over Northern Ireland. This agreement, through partial consensus, provides legal certainty for Northern Irish trading companies, which is beneficial for political stability and mitigating the negative impact of Brexit on the public. The agreement simplifies customs inspection procedures, distinguishes UK domestic goods with final destinations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, establishes a dual track system of "green" and "red" channels, improves cargo mobility, and reduces customs inspection frequency. At the same time, the ban on retail food sales in Northern Ireland has been lifted, the inspection and quarantine process has been simplified, and more food produced to British standards has been allowed to enter the Northern Ireland market.

2、 The motivation for the UK and Europe to reach the 'Windsor Framework' agreement

The UK government faces a triple dilemma in dealing with the Northern Ireland border issue, including avoiding a "hard border" on the island of Ireland, a "hard border" between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland, and avoiding restrictions from the European single market and customs union. The 'Windsor Framework' agreement is closer to addressing these challenges than previous plans, avoiding a 'hard border' on the island of Ireland, implementing minimal checks on goods from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland, and eliminating substantial restrictions on UK operations outside the European single market and customs union. The agreement amended most of the disputed clauses and increased the UK's voice on trade issues in Northern Ireland.

3、 New Developments in UK EU Cooperation after the Windsor Framework Agreement

Discussed the impact of the Windsor Framework Agreement on the cooperation between the UK and Europe. The Brexit Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement constitute the basic institutional framework of the UK EU relationship, but due to disputes over implementation, the cooperation mechanism has not played its expected role. The Windsor Framework Agreement eliminates disputes, facilitates the normal operation of cooperation mechanisms, and brings certainty to the UK EU relationship. The agreement helps alleviate the negative impact of cooperation between the two sides in a wider range of fields and promotes the development of bilateral relations. In the field of defense, the UK's accession to the EU military mobility project under the PESCO framework is a new breakthrough in defense cooperation between the UK and the EU after Brexit. However, the two sides have not yet restored institutionalized defense cooperation. In the field of diplomacy, the UK and Europe have strengthened policy coordination, but the establishment of the UK EU summit mechanism is still unknown. In the financial sector, the UK and Europe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Financial Services Regulatory Cooperation, but the UK financial industry still faces challenges in entering the European market. In the field of scientific research, the UK has rejoined the Horizon Europe program as an associate member. The Windsor Framework Agreement broke the deadlock in the implementation dispute of the protocol, bringing hope for resolving the Northern Ireland border issue and gaining widespread support, but the implementation prospects still face uncertainty. The Sunak government emphasizes the importance of strengthening cooperation between the UK and Europe, which has achieved cooperation results in multiple fields, but the level of institutionalization is still relatively low. The Labour Party stated that it will promote further institutionalization of UK EU cooperation.