Cross-border trade has continued to rise in both directions since the Northern Ireland Protocol was announced 18 months ago, new figures have shown.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the value of imports from Northern Ireland into the Republic for January to May 2022 increased by €357 million to €1.9 billion, compared to the same time period in 2021.
Meanwhile, the figure exports from the Republic to the North from January to May 2022 increased by 42%, from €586 million to €1.974 billion when compared with the same period in 2021.
Imports from Britain rose by €831 million to €2 billion compared with May 2021 – a rise of 71 per cent.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was introduced as part of the UK’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union and has kept an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, while also introducing a border in the Irish Sea.
Ciaran Counihan, statistician in International Trade in Goods Division, said that the increase in goods exports were driven mainly by growth in the exports of medical and pharmaceutical products.
Ireland’s overall exports amounted to €18 billion, which was an increase of nearly €4.5 billion compared to the same period last year.
Imports reached €12.8 billion, which was €4billion higher than imports in May 2021.
