The UK government has published a new position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, pledging to protect the Belfast Agreement and Common Travel Area (CTA).

The position paper, which has been published ahead of the August negotiating round, states that the UK government aims to protect the CTA and associated rights for UK and Irish citizens, and pledges to put upholding the Belfast or ‘Good Friday’ Agreement at the heart of its Exit negotiations.

As such, the paper proposes no physical infrastructure at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and continued trade between the UK and Ireland after Brexit. The paper also put forward plans to preserve the wide range of institutional cooperation between Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain, including the energy market.

Secretary of State for Brexit, David Davis, commented that: “The UK and Ireland have been clear all along that we need to prioritise protecting the Belfast Agreement in these negotiations, and ensure the land border is as seamless as possible for people and businesses.”

The policy document is the fourth formal position paper to be shared with the EU on matters related to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It will inform the ongoing dialogue between the UK and EU negotiating teams on the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and Ireland in light of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.