The British and Irish governments have announced a new political accord to overcome various crises in Northern Ireland. The North’s two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, are backing the agreement.
The 68-page agreement, entitled A Fresh Start for Northern Ireland, follows 10 weeks of intensive negotiations. Among the highlights, the deal:
- reduces the corporate tax rate in Northern Ireland to 12.5 percent by 2018, in line with the Republic of Ireland;
- provides and additional £500 million to tackle issues unique to Northern Ireland, including efforts on the removal of peace walls;
- creates new obligations for the N.I. parties to end paramilitarism, and also targets organized and cross-border crime;
- addresses the issue of flags and parades in the future, but NOT how to deal with the past;
- reforms the Stormont Assembly, including its size, the number of departments and the use of petitions of concern as a form of opposition.
Read the full agreement.
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