Great Britain's exit from the European Union: consequences for Northern Ireland (Research Article)

It is examined the preconditions and consequences of Great Britain ’s exit from the European Union for Northern Ireland. This study is actualized by the fact that Northern Ireland and some other regions of the United Kingdom after the referendum on Brexit declared their separatist intentions. In case of a successful resolution of this situation,  the regions’ needs satisfaction with the maintaining the priority of Great Britain ’s national interest and the preservation  of monarchy unitary the experience can be used by Ukraine in resolving similar situations, in particular as regards the eastern regions. The purpose of the article is to identify the reasons for the reluctance of Northern Ireland exit from the European Union  and to analyze the possible consequences of this decision for the social and political, economic and security dimensions of the functioning of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom.  It  is  analyzed  the  effects  of Great Britain’s exit  from  the EU  for  the monarchy as a whole,  found the role of  regional governments  in  the Brexit,  explored  the potential  options  for  the  future  of Northern  Ireland  in  or  outside  the United Kingdom,  identified  the main  social  and  political  implications  for  the  development  of  the  south  of  Ireland,  its  economy,  and  outlined  the  possible  effects  on  the security dimension of the UK’s exit from the EU. It is argued that in the context of the UK's exit from the European Union, its implications for Northern Ireland are determined by several factors that significantly differentiate this part of the UK from the rest of the UK. Firstly,  there is  the  factor of  the land border with Ireland; secondly,  the dependence on  funding under  the  EU  programs  and  the  orientation  of  the  economy  on  agriculture,  which  stipulates  the  close  cooperation  of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland and with the European associations, and thirdly, the existence of a system of cross-border security and police control. It is alleged that the United Kingdom exit from the EU for Northern Ireland will be  accompanied  by  serious  economic,  political  and  security  challenges,  and,  therefore,  it  is  important  to  coordinate  the efforts of Belfast, London, Dublin and Brussels for the prevention of crisis situations on the territory of the United Kingdom as well as the European Union.