Confused by the Northern Ireland issue in Brexit? This is the book explaining the complex legal arrangements addressing that problem.

This book examines the extent to which Brexit has impacted upon the operation of the British Constitution, prompting in turn consideration of how some of the factors which contributed to the outcome of the 2016 referendum, as well as the event of Brexit itself, might inform debates surrounding constitutional reform moving forward. The work seeks to make sense of the constitutional implications of Brexit and to revisit some of the key debates that have taken place in respect of particular constitutional reform proposals in order to assess the extent to which recent Brexit-related developments inform the perspectives which are taken upon their merits and prospects. The book is divided into two parts. The first provides some context for the substantive treatment of the potential impact of Brexit on constitutional reform debates which forms the focus of Part II. Part II centres on various specific constitutional reform themes or issues, which are explored further within the context of Brexit. For each such issue, the main parameters of the debates which have taken place are sketched out before moving on to consider how it has informed, or may come to be informed, by the phenomenon of Brexit. By so doing, it looks to some future directions for constitutional reform which take account of the factors driving the discourses which gave rise to the referendum outcome and subsequent developments, as well as offering meaningful responses to these. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of constitutional law, constitutional politics, philosophy and history.

Brexit and the Northern Ireland Constitution considers the intersection of two processes: the complex and constitutional process of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union - Brexit - and the steady yet fragile development of the Northern Ireland constitution deriving, primarily, from the Belfast 'Good Friday' Agreement of 1998. Interdisciplinary in approach, the analysis draws on legal and political theory to develop a novel framework for assessing the progressive impact of Brexit on the Northern Ireland constitution based on systematic definitions of both. This approach elucidates dynamics and implications not yet considered in the otherwise extensive debates about Brexit and its impacts on Northern Ireland. Based on detailed analysis of the Brexit process it is argued that its impact on the constitution of Northern Ireland has been profound. Fundamentally, Brexit changed the political and legal environment in which the Northern Ireland constitution had existed for over twenty years. Embracing 'constructive ambiguity' the 1998 Agreement recognises and accommodates the concerns of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland; it did not therefore solve the constitutional conflict but rather allowed it to be managed differently through an innovative system of multileveled governance: within Northern Ireland (power-sharing devolution), on the island of Ireland (North-South cooperation), and between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland (East-West cooperation) all underpinned by a multifaceted principle of constitutional, popular, and cross-community consent. By forcing a paradigmatic shift in the way that the systems of government established by the 1998 Agreement operate, Brexit disrupted the 'constructively ambiguous' compromise that it represents. Completed two years after the legal implementation of UK withdrawal from the EU, Whitten concludes by considering the potential longer-term constitutional repercussions of Brexit both within and beyond Northern Ireland's (recently notorious) borders.

What does the UK's exit from the EU mean for health and the NHS? This book explains the legal and practical implications of Brexit on the NHS: its staffing; especially on the island of Ireland; medicines, medical devices and equipment; and biomedical research. It considers the UK's post-Brexit trade agreements and what they mean for health, and discusses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-Brexit health law. To put the legal analysis in context, the book draws on over 400 conversations the authors had with people in the north of England and Northern Ireland, interviews with over 40 health policy stakeholders, details of a film about their research made with ShoutOut UK, the authors' work with Parliaments and governments across the UK, and their collaborations with key actors like the NHS Confederation, the British Medical Association, and Cancer Research UK. The book shows that the language people use to talk about hoped-for legitimate post-Brexit health governance suggests a great deal of faith in law and legal process among 'ordinary people', but the opposite from 'insider elites'. Not What The Bus Promised puts the authors' knowledge and experiences centre frame, rather than claiming to express 'objective reality'. It will be of interest to any reader who cares about the NHS and wants to understand its present and future.

The 3rd edition of this leading text provides a detailed account of the purposes of judicial review; the nature of the public-private divide in Northern Ireland law; the judicial review procedure; the grounds for review; and remedies. As with the previous editions, the focus is on case law that is unique to Northern Ireland, and the book identifies some important differences between principle and practice in Northern Ireland and England and Wales. These now include differences resulting from the Ireland-Northern Ireland Protocol (as amended by the Windsor Framework), and this edition explains how and when EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland. It also considers the leading Human Rights Act decisions of the Northern Ireland courts and the House of Lords and UK Supreme Court. The new edition refers to case law from the courts in England and Wales and Scotland; the Court of Justice of the European Union; and the European Court of Human Rights. There is a particular focus on recent rulings of the High Court and Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland and of rulings of the Supreme Court in cases heard on appeal from Northern Ireland. It considers the main points of the Judicial Review Practice Direction 03-2018 and surveys the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and its implications for Northern Ireland (including the incorporation of the Ireland-Northern Ireland Protocol, as amended by the Windsor Framework). The book will be of use to practitioners in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and also to those involved in the study of judicial reasoning in different jurisdictions (both within the UK and elsewhere).

This book examines the law and politics of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, attached to the Withdrawal Agreement, which regulates the terms of Brexit. The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland deals with the most complex issue which emerged during the withdrawal negotiations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), namely how to avoid a hard border in the island of Ireland and preserve the peace process started in Northern Ireland with the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement. To this end, the Protocol, which was agreed in its final form in October 2019, establishes a bespoke solution, notably by keeping Northern Ireland aligned to EU customs and internal market rules. Nevertheless, the operation of the Protocol, which has formally entered into force in January 2021, has stirred political controversies in the Unionist community in Northern Ireland, and caused diplomatic confrontation between the EU and the UK. The purpose of this book is therefore to provide the first interdisciplinary overview of the Protocol, shedding light on its context, content, and challenges. This book -- which brings together contributions by leading legal scholars, political scientists, sociologists, and trade experts from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, and the United States -- provides a comprehensive and contextual assessment of the Protocol. It examines its setting, including constitutional trends in the UK and Ireland, focuses on its substantive clauses dealing with human rights and cross-border cooperation, as well as on those related to trade, and analyses its governance mechanisms, including democratic consent and safeguards.

The European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) are becoming ever more important players on the international legal scene, as well as points of reference for the development and functioning of similar institutions elsewhere. Both institutions initially had a relatively small trade-focused mandate, which has been significantly expanded over the past decades so that there are few legal issues today that are not, in some way, affected by EU or, perhaps to a lesser extent, WTO law. Today, the EU and the WTO interact on a global scale as rule-makers and – enforcers, with repercussions for the entire world’s population. Nevertheless, they are currently experiencing a backlash. Both institutions are likely to undergo major reform in the next years: the book scrutinizes current proposals and makes an educated attempt at predicting upcoming changes in the EU and the WTO format. For this reason, the book takes a macro-approach looking at the EU and the WTO in a broader context as well as a micro-approach analysing specific high-profile issues, including: the EU, the WTO and Brexit; environmental sustainability in EU competition law and free trade agreements; the EU’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM); WTO safeguards and rules of origin in services; reform of WTO dispute settlement procedures and the Appellate Body; the WTO, the EU Green Deal and renewable energy investment; EU external relations with Mercosur, the EEA and Switzerland; EU human rights law and the freedom of artistic expression; and international trade law’s contribution to combatting pandemics. Contributors to the book are experts active in legal academia, international legal practice, or both, who wish to honour Marco Bronckers, upon his retirement from the Chair of WTO and EU Law at the University of Leiden. A variety of audiences stands to benefit from the book’s discussion and proposed solutions: legal practitioners, scholars and students of international and European law; as well as related disciplines, such as political science and economic theory.

The Internal Market Ideal honours the pathbreaking work of Professor Stephen Weatherill, Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at the University of Oxford since 1998. For more than three decades, Professor Stephen Weatherill has been the dominant figure in internal market debates, shaping the European Union's Internal Market both at Oxford and internationally. Looming large in fields as disparate as consumer protection and sports law, his voice has guided how relevant laws and regulations are understood and how their varying virtues and pitfalls are perceived. A reference to his seminal work The Internal Market as a Legal Concept (OUP, 2016), the present volume is not simply a celebration of Weatherill's life, but also an examination of the legal issues surrounding the semi-integrated market of the European Union. Across nineteen essays, the collection presents a vision of the European Union not yet achieved; that is, a Union which benefits from economic growth and pursues non-economic objectives, whilst carefully balancing respect for Member States' autonomy and the European Union's self-sufficiency. An invaluable resource for students, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of European Law, The Internal Market Ideal, is a must read for anyone wishing to learn more about the illustrious life and work of Professor Stephen Weatherill.

This textbook presents an engaging and thorough examination of the law in Northern Ireland. It guides students through the evolution of law-making, the legislative process, courts, and case law and presents a clear overview of the fundamental rules and principles of international law, public law, criminal law, and private law. It contextualises the myriad legal institutions operating in the jurisdiction, sets out how criminal and civil proceedings work in practice, and provides useful information on how people become lawyers, what lawyers actually do once they become qualified, and how the legal system is funded. The appendices set out sample sources of law so that readers can familiarise themselves with what is involved in handling legal documents. This edition has been updated following recent legal developments in Northern Ireland including the 'New Decade, New Approach' agreement of 2020 and the different elements of the power-sharing government, such as the proposed Languages Bill and the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill. It explains the effect of Brexit, in particular the new concept of 'retained EU law' and the effect of the Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol to the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. Setting out the implications of the recent UK-wide reviews of administrative law and the Human Rights Act for Northern Ireland, the book examines the work of the shadow Civil Justice Council and Family Justice Board and looks at the latest developments in the reform of abortion law. It explores new Assembly legislation that addresses the use of committal proceedings in criminal cases, the protection afforded to victims of domestic violence, and the rights of other victims, for example in relation to compensation for victims and survivors of the troubles and the appointment of an interim Victims of Crime Commissioner.

Illustrating the legacy of Brexit, this timely Research Handbook provides a comprehensive and coherent analysis of not only the Brexit process within the UK but also what it means for both the UK and the EU within the framework of their future relationship.