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This one-day conference from BrexitLawNI and the Equality Coalition will examine the risks of hardened entitlement boundaries between different groups of citizens in post-Brexit Northern Ireland.

The existing paradigm of two main citizenship categories (EU and non-EU) will be expanded to include many more sub-divisions should the current Brexit proposals proceed (as is shown in the table below).

Topics explored at the conference will include:

  • entitlements differentials
  • citizenship status and rights
  • racial profiling
  • compliance with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement
  • ‘hostile environment’ measures
  • the scope of the ‘Common Travel Area’ and the retained EU citizens’ rights provisions under the EU Settlement Scheme

The Equality Coalition is Co-Convened by CAJ and UNISON. BrexitLawNI is a collaborative ESRC-funded research project between CAJ and the Law Schools of Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.

To book a place at the conference, email events@caj.org.uk.

Please state any access or dietary requirements.

Conference Programme
TimeSession
9.30am Registration
10.00am

Welcome and Overview

Welcome: Professor Colin Harvey (BrexitLawNI Principal Investigator & Professor of Human Rights Law at QUB) and Patricia McKeown (UNISON General Secretary & Equality Coalition Co-Convener)

Overview: Daniel Holder (CAJ Deputy Director & Equality Coalition Co-Convener)

10.30am

Panel 1: Implications of Brexit for EU26, EEA and non-EU migrants in NI

Chair: Professor Colin Harvey

Panel: Bernadette McAliskey (STEP Coordinator), Una Boyd (CAJ Immigration Project Coordinator) and Nathalie Donnelly (Local Organiser for UNISON)

11.45am

Panel 2: Political representatives on post-Brexit citizenship status

Chair: Professor Kieran McEvoy (Professor of Law and Transitional Justice, QUB)

Panel: Steven Agnew (MLA, Green Party), Stephen Farry (MLA, Alliance), Claire Hanna (MLA, SDLP), Mike Nesbitt (MLA, UUP), Niall Ó Donnghaile (Senator, Sinn Féin), and a DUP representative (tbc)

12.45pm Lunch
1.30pm

Afternoon opening session

Overview: Brian Gormally (CAJ Director)

Keynote address: Tony Lloyd (Labour MP & Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) and a UK government spokesperson (name tbc)

2.00pm

Panel 3: Implications of Brexit for British and Irish citizens in NI

Chair: Patricia McKeown

Panel: Emma de Souza (immigration and citizen rights campaigner), Jane Morrice (UK Member of the Brussels-based European Economic and Social Committee & Honorary President of European Movement NI), Niall Murphy (solicitor) and Terry Wright (community unionist)

3.15pm

Closing plenary

Chair: Dr Anna Bryson (Senior Lecturer, QUB), with members of the BrexitLawNI and Equality Coalition teams.

The Equality Coalition is Co-Convened by CAJ and UNISON. BrexitLawNI is a collaborative ESRC-funded research project between CAJ and the Law Schools of Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. This event is supported by the UNISON Campaign Fund and Queen’s University Belfast.

Event info

This event has ended

Monday 4 March

10am to 4pm

Moot Court, School of Law, Queens University, Belfast