Brexit: A boon and a bane for N Irish businesses

In a factory in Dunmurry on the edge of Belfast, black and green boxes of ventilation systems destined for Poland are piled high, each bearing the European energy label.

The EU member state is Brookvent’s largest market, despite the UK’s departure from the bloc and disputes about post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Unlike the rest of the UK, Northern Irish businesses still have one foot in the European single market. 

“We find ourselves in a unique position and having a foot in both camps is a great competitive advantage,” Brookvent’s managing director Declan Gormley told AFP.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, designed to govern trade in the British province and recognise its special status, has been a thorn in the side of EU-UK relations since January.

The agreement is designed to avoid the return of a physical border with Ireland -- a key part of the 1998 peace deal that ended violence over British rule in Northern Ireland.

To prevent unchecked goods heading into the single market via EU member Ireland, checks were agreed on goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Great Britain.

Pro-British unionist parties, though, fear it drives a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and brings the republican goal of a united Ireland closer.

But for Northern Irish businesses exporting to the EU, it gives them an edge over their rivals in England, Scotland and Wales.

“We have access to a market of over half a billion people,” said Gormley. 

In contrast, UK competitors are restricted to a domestic market of 70 million, and face “administrative hoops” to be able to trade with the EU, he added.