This thesis aims to analyse the impact that the process of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, is likely to have on human rights mechanisms in Northern Ireland. Indeed, since the referendum that took place on the 23rd of June, 2016 which ended up with the majority of UK citizens voting to 'leave', there have been numerous difficulties in pursuing an agreement with the European Union. Although the political and media debate focuses on the economic and international law consequences, other issues have also been raised regarding the British government's commitment not to back down on guaranteeing the rights of Northern Irish citizens. Although these claims may seem out of place, since Northern Ireland is one of the provinces composing the multi-national state of the United Kingdom, a European and democratic state, it should not be forgotten that it was only in 1998 that the civil war that had been actively going on for three decades was brought to an end. And that agreement, known as the Good Friday Agreement, placed the issue of human rights at the heart of the constitutional project for a stable and lasting peace in the north of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland can therefore be defined in all respects as a post-conflict society. The structure of this thesis is based on an initial historical analysis of the causes that led to the crucial signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and then moves on to an actual analysis from a constitutional law perspective of the heart of the document and the therein contained. After an assessment of the impact this has had, investigating its strengths and weaknesses, it moves on to the more recent events of the Brexit and how these tie in with, and in a sense are at risk of undermining, the work set up two decades ago and carried on during this period to ensure that there is no return to that old pattern of sectarian conflict between the two historically majority Northern Irish communities (the Catholic/Nationalist and the Protestant/Unionist). The thesis then concludes with an investigation of which community-based human rights mechanisms have played a fundamental role as guarantors within the Agreement, and how the Westminster government seems intent on dismantling them. The arguments put forward want to draw attention to the real existing risk of bringing about a major step backwards in terms of rights, as it would mean weakening the whole structure aimed at ensuring that there are adequate preventive as well as sanctioning mechanisms, aimed at preventing the return of those destabilising elements that have characterised Northern Ireland since its inception, and in particular during the Troubles.
Questa tesi si prefigge l'obiettivo di analizzare l'impatto che il processo di uscita del Regno Unito dall'Unione Europea, conosciuto come Brexit, rischia di avere sui meccanismi di tutela dei diritti umani in Irlanda del Nord. Infatti, dal voto al referendum del 23 Giugno 2016 che ha visto prevalere il "leave", numerose sono state le difficoltà nel portare avanti un accordo con l'Unione Europea. Nonostante il dibattito politico e mediatico si soffermi sulle conseguenze relative al settore economico e a quello del diritto internazionale, altre problematiche sono state avanzate anche per quanto riguarda l'impegno del governo britannico a non arretrare sulla garanzia per la tutela dei diritti dei cittadini nord-irlandesi. Benché queste affermazioni possano sembrare fuori luogo, in quanto si sta parlando di una delle regioni che costituiscono lo stato multi-nazionale del Regno Unito ovvero di uno stato europeo e democratico, non va dimenticato che solo nel 1998 è stata messa la parola fine a quella guerra civile che durava attivamente da ormai tre decenni. E quell'accordo, noto come Good Friday Agreement (ovvero accordo del Venerdì Santo) poneva la questione dei diritti umani al centro del progetto costituzionale per una pace stabile e duratura nel nord dell'isola d'Irlanda. L'Irlanda del Nord è perciò definibile a tutti gli effetti come una società post conflitto. La struttura di questa tesi si basa su una iniziale analisi storica delle cause che hanno portato a rendere necessaria e cruciale la firma all'Accordo del Venerdì Santo, per poi passare ad una analisi vera e propria dal punto di vista del diritto costituzionale del cuore del documento e delle clausole in esso contenute. Dopo una valutazione dell'impatto che questo ha avuto, indagandone punti di forza e di debolezza, si passa agli avvenimenti più recenti della Brexit e a come questi si leghino e rischino in un certo senso di minare il lavoro impostato due decenni fa e portato avanti in questo periodo per assicurare che non si ritorni a quel vecchio schema del conflitto di natura settaria tra le due comunità (quella cattolico/nazionalista e quella protestante/unionista) nord-irlandesi storicamente maggioritarie. La tesi si conclude quindi con un'indagine di quali sono i meccanismi della tutela dei diritti umani di origine comunitaria che hanno svolto un ruolo fondamentale di garante all'interno dell'Accordo, e di come il governo di Westminster sembra intenzionato a smantellarli. Le argomentazioni avanzate sono volte a porre l'attenzione sul rischio concreto che esiste di determinare un grande passo indietro in tema di diritti, in quanto significherebbe indebolire l'intera struttura volta ad assicurare che ci siano adeguati meccanismi di prevenzione tanto quanto sanzionatori, che scongiurino il ritorno di quegli elementi destabilizzanti che hanno caratterizzato l'Irlanda del Nord dalla sua nascita, e in particolare nel periodo dei Troubles.
Between Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol: what will become of human rights protection in the future of Northern Ireland?
SPINACI, FEDERICO
2021/2022
Abstract
This thesis aims to analyse the impact that the process of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, is likely to have on human rights mechanisms in Northern Ireland. Indeed, since the referendum that took place on the 23rd of June, 2016 which ended up with the majority of UK citizens voting to 'leave', there have been numerous difficulties in pursuing an agreement with the European Union. Although the political and media debate focuses on the economic and international law consequences, other issues have also been raised regarding the British government's commitment not to back down on guaranteeing the rights of Northern Irish citizens. Although these claims may seem out of place, since Northern Ireland is one of the provinces composing the multi-national state of the United Kingdom, a European and democratic state, it should not be forgotten that it was only in 1998 that the civil war that had been actively going on for three decades was brought to an end. And that agreement, known as the Good Friday Agreement, placed the issue of human rights at the heart of the constitutional project for a stable and lasting peace in the north of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland can therefore be defined in all respects as a post-conflict society. The structure of this thesis is based on an initial historical analysis of the causes that led to the crucial signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and then moves on to an actual analysis from a constitutional law perspective of the heart of the document and the therein contained. After an assessment of the impact this has had, investigating its strengths and weaknesses, it moves on to the more recent events of the Brexit and how these tie in with, and in a sense are at risk of undermining, the work set up two decades ago and carried on during this period to ensure that there is no return to that old pattern of sectarian conflict between the two historically majority Northern Irish communities (the Catholic/Nationalist and the Protestant/Unionist). The thesis then concludes with an investigation of which community-based human rights mechanisms have played a fundamental role as guarantors within the Agreement, and how the Westminster government seems intent on dismantling them. The arguments put forward want to draw attention to the real existing risk of bringing about a major step backwards in terms of rights, as it would mean weakening the whole structure aimed at ensuring that there are adequate preventive as well as sanctioning mechanisms, aimed at preventing the return of those destabilising elements that have characterised Northern Ireland since its inception, and in particular during the Troubles.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/39615