Skip to main content

EU warns Irish border issue could still sink Brexit deal

Brexit

BRUSSELS: The thorny problem of the Irish border could yet scupper a Brexit deal, EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned after talks with his British counterpart Friday, saying “urgent” work was needed to find a solution.

Avoiding a hard border between European Union member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland after Britain leaves the EU’s single market has become a major obstacle to finding a deal.

After meeting British Brexit minister Dominic Raab in Brussels, Barnier hailed progress on some security issues but warned there were still major differences over protected geographical indicators like champagne and stilton — and Ireland.

“There is an urgent need to work on the text of a operational backstop and that’s why I’ve asked Dominic and his team to provide us with the necessary data for technical work, which we need now, on the nature, location and methods of the checks that will be needed,” Barnier said.

“This backstop is critical to conclude these negotiations because without a backstop there is no agreement.”

The EU proposes that Northern Ireland stay aligned with the remaining 27 bloc members after Brexit as part of a “backstop”, or insurance policy to avoid the reimposition of border checks and a risk to Irish peace gains.

Read More: Britain’s May takes post-Brexit trade tour to Nigeria

But Britain, fearing the EU proposal would break up its territory, has suggested instead that the whole country remain aligned with the EU in certain areas, only until the end of 2021.

The EU in turn opposes that as a way of Britain trying to stay in the single market by stealth.

The two sides have just a few months before an agreement on Britain’s divorce from the European Union — set for March 29, 2019 — must be forged in principle by October or November.

Raab, whose predecessor David Davis resigned in July over differences with Prime Minister Theresa May’s negotiating strategy, said he was “stubbornly optimistic” that a deal could be reached.

“All in all I think the contours of an agreement and a deal on the withdrawal agreement are becoming clearer and clearer, which is a positive,” he said.

“The solutions (on Ireland) must be workable. They’ve got to be workable for communities in Northern Ireland and living in the Republic of Ireland, the people affected in their daily lives by what Michel and I are negotiating on behalf of the EU and the UK.”

France’s Europe Minister cast doubt on May’s blueprint for future trade ties on Friday, warning the current proposal was “not possible”.

Nathalie Loiseau said May’s plan unveiled in July, which envisages the UK leaving the EU’s single market but staying in a free trade area for goods through a customs deal and common rulebook, is unattainable.

The post EU warns Irish border issue could still sink Brexit deal appeared first on ARYNEWS.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Accountability court hears assets case against Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday resumed the hearing of a reference filed against former finance minister Ishaq Dar by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income.  Judge Muhammad Bashir is recording the statement of a prosecution witness, Ishtiaq Ahmed. At the previous hearing, the accountability judge had reserved his verdict on an application filed by two co-accused seeking acquittal in the case. Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi, who are directors of Dar’s companies, had filed the application requesting the judge to exonerate them from all charges for want of evidence. Qazi Misbah, the counsel for the two co-accused, contended the prosecution has failed to provide compelling evidence to prove the allegations leveled against his clients. The third co-accused President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Saeed Ahmed, had already filed an application before the court for his acquittal wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

SFA raids several restaurants in Karachi, imposes fine

KARACHI: The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) on Friday raided several restaurants in city’s North Nazimabad area over unhygienic conditions, ARY News reported. According to the SFA, one of the restaurants was found utilizing the used oil multiple times. The items were also not properly frozen while crockery for serving the food was also not clean. The team imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the restaurant. The SFA team found hygiene standards were sheerly compromised in food making to the core. The food inspectors said they had previously served notices to the food outlets, but the restaurant owners apparently turned a blind eye to it. Raids were also conducted in district Malir and Gulshan-e-Hadeed. Sanitary conditions and lack of fumigation facilities were found at the restaurants in some of the Malir outlets. The SFA team also raided a bakery ‘Friend Bakers’ and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 over poor hygiene.  Similarly another roadside restaurant was fined Rs 20,000 for neglecting he...
Post a Comment
Read more

Trump says US generals feel Beirut blast was likely an ‘attack’

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday cast a massive explosion in Beirut as a possible attack, despite statements by Lebanese leaders that it was likely caused by highly explosive material that had been stored at warehouses in the capital for years. “The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon,” Trump said at a White House briefing of Tuesday’s explosion, which killed at least 78 people and injured thousands. “It looks like a terrible attack.” When asked later about his depiction of the explosion, Trump said that he had met with some U.S. generals who feel the blast was not “some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event.” He told reporters that according to these unnamed generals “they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.” The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was unclear where Trump was receiving his information but that initial information did not appear...
Post a Comment
Read more