The agreement reached was that Northern Ireland was and would remain a part of the United Kingdom until a majority of the population of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland wanted something else. If this happens, the UK and Irish governments will have a “binding obligation” to implement this decision. The principle of power-sharing was incorporated into the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The DÕHondt method of proportional representation has been used to ensure that the unionist (mainly Protestant) and nationalist (mainly Catholic) communities participate in government in relation to the seats they win in the new Northern Ireland Assembly. The members of the assembly were elected with a single transferable vote. If the main parties did not reach an agreement on power-sharing, power would return to London, a situation that neither side wanted. 19. The Executive Committee provides a forum to discuss and agree on issues relating to the competences of two or more ministers, to prioritise executive and legislative proposals and to recommend a common position if necessary (e.B. in dealing with external relations). 5.

All participants recognise the sensitivity of the use of symbols and emblems for public purposes and the need, in particular when establishing new institutions, to ensure that such symbols and emblems are used in a manner that promotes mutual respect and not division. Steps will be taken to monitor this issue and consider any measures that may be necessary. During negotiations on the UK`s planned withdrawal from the European Union in 2019, the EU presented a position paper on its concerns about the UK`s support for the Good Friday Agreement during Brexit. The position paper addresses issues such as the avoidance of a hard border, North-South cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the birthright of all northern Irish residents (as defined in the agreement) and the common travel area. [31] [32] Anyone born in Northern Ireland and therefore entitled to an Irish passport under the Good Friday Agreement can retain EU citizenship after Brexit. [33] In accordance with the European Union`s Brexit negotiating directives, the UK was asked to convince other EU members that these issues had been addressed in order to move to the second phase of Brexit negotiations. .