Although the UK has now left EU, the full impact of Brexit and the NI Protocol on the Irish border area remains undefined, with answers to many questions remaining outstanding. ICBAN developed a Policy Paper on Brexit in March 2017, noting and respecting the differing political positions of our Management Board. It was agreed that the organisation would work towards highlighting any opportunities or concerns and to withstand any negative consequences arising from the Brexit process.

Having identified an absence of community consultation on both sides of the border, ICBAN together with Queen’s University Belfast have published four survey initiatives to date.

‘The Border After Brexit’ report was published in October 2021. This draws on research from an online survey which had 400 responses and focus groups/interviews that took place in summer 2021. This latest report has again been widely disseminated to key stakeholders involved in, or with an interest in Brexit and the Irish border, and adds to the evidence already gathered on voices of communities from the Central Border Region.

The previous study, entitled ‘The Border into Brexit’ completed in December 2019. This report focused on the recent developments and discussions on the issue of the Irish border, including the potential of a ‘No Deal’ scenario. The initiative included an online survey, along with a series of focus groups and engagements with key stakeholders. The final report ‘The Border into Brexit’ was recently published. Similar to the previous studies, this report will be presented to both the UK and Irish governments, as well as EU structures involved in the Brexit process.