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EU approval of Brexit blueprint comes with Irish border warning EU approval of Brexit blueprint comes with Irish border warning
(about 4 hours later)
EU agreement on the terms of a transition period and its vision of a “wide-ranging and ambitious” free trade deal with the UK has come with a warning that nothing will be sealed until Downing Street provides a solution for avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. Theresa May has been warned that she has less than three months to resolve the problem of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland as EU leaders formally endorsed the terms of the transition period and its vision of a future trade deal.
The leaders of 27 member states endorsed a seven-page blueprint for a future deal with the UK at a summit in Brussels on Friday morning. It includes zero tariffs on goods, reciprocal access to fishing waters and cooperation in defence and foreign affairs. Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, said he hoped agreement struck between negotiators on 75% of a draft withdrawal agreement, would propel the talks, before setting a June summit of leaders as a potential make or break moment.
Progress on a draft withdrawal agreement unveiled earlier in the week was also welcomed by the 27. The 129-page document contains both the terms of the transition period and Brussels’ proposed solution to the issue of the Irish border, which is being contested by the UK because it would effectively keep Northern Ireland in the customs union and single market. The EU will not be prepared to turn to drafting a political declaration that will form the basis of a future trade deal until the UK provided legally watertight answers to the question of the Irish border, the former Polish prime minister suggested.
However, the 27 insisted in their guidelines on the future trade deal that negotiations could only progress once the UK provides a legally watertight alternative to its “backstop” solution of keeping Northern Ireland in regulatory alignment with the EU. Tusk told reporters at a press conference at the end of a European council summit: “We want to use the positive momentum in the negotiations to finally settle outstanding issues such as the solution to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
That default status for the country would come into effect should a future trade deal or bespoke technological solution not emerge that can do the work of avoiding a hard border with the Irish Republic. “In parallel, we will start our first talks about the future EU-UK relationship. Leaders will assess in June if the Irish question has been resolved, and how to go about a common declaration on our future.”
The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said the deadline for having a “done and dusted” agreement was October, although Dublin was pressing for answers from London on how it would avoid a hard border by the next European council summit in June. Downing Street has rejected the detail in the European commission’s so-called ‘backstop’ solution of effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the customs union and single market should a free trade deal or bespoke technological solution not be able to offer the same outcome.
Varadkar claimed the UK had made a significant move in the last week by accepting the premise of a backstop option. The prime minister has, however, committed to including a version of that default model in any future withdrawal agreement as a price for moving the Brexit talks on.
The leaders of 27 member states endorsed seven-pages of guidelines for a future deal with the UK at a summit in Brussels on Friday morning within “thirty seconds”, EU diplomats said. It includes zero tariffs on goods, reciprocal access to fishing waters and cooperation in defence and foreign affairs.
The German chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU had to stay together, as the talks entered a more difficult phase. “We should not at all allow ourselves to be split”, she said. “We have to show unity and cohesion in these negotiations.”
Progress on a draft withdrawal agreement unveiled earlier in the week was also welcomed by the 27.
The 129-page document contains both the terms of the transition period and Brussels’ proposed solution to the issue of the Irish border.
The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, claimed the UK had made a significant move in the last week by accepting the premise of a backstop option.
It had initially rejected it “out of hand”, he said, but had now said it would “engage on the text of the backstop that the EU has put forward”.It had initially rejected it “out of hand”, he said, but had now said it would “engage on the text of the backstop that the EU has put forward”.
Varadkar added: “It’s not a case of when they’re winning we’re losing, and when we’re winning they’re losing.”Varadkar added: “It’s not a case of when they’re winning we’re losing, and when we’re winning they’re losing.”
As she left the leaders’ summit in Brussels, Theresa May said she believed there was a “new dynamic” to the negotiations, and reiterated her commitment to offer answers on the Irish border. As she left the leaders’ summit in Brussels, May echoed Tusk’s claim that there was a “new dynamic” to the negotiations.
”I welcome the fact that the EU council has agreed the details of the implementation period,” she said. “This gives certainty to people and businesses, it gives them the clarity to plan for their future and it ensures that they will only have to make one change when we enter into our future relationship. ”I welcome the fact that the EU council has agreed the details of the implementation period,” she said. “We will now be sitting down and determining those workable solutions for Northern Ireland, but also for our future security partnership and economic partnership.”
“I believe there is a new dynamic now in the negotiations. We are approaching this with a spirit of cooperation and a spirit of opportunity for the future. We will now be sitting down and determining those workable solutions for Northern Ireland, but also for our future security partnership and economic partnership.”
Negotiators on both sides believe a trade deal can be drawn up during the 21-month transition period that will come into force after 29 March 2019.Negotiators on both sides believe a trade deal can be drawn up during the 21-month transition period that will come into force after 29 March 2019.
However, Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP who co-leads the Green group, voiced scepticism shared by some European diplomats in private. “Who can believe that within 21 months you can complete and then ratify a full association agreement,” he told the Guardian. “That is impossible.”However, Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP who co-leads the Green group, voiced scepticism shared by some European diplomats in private. “Who can believe that within 21 months you can complete and then ratify a full association agreement,” he told the Guardian. “That is impossible.”
Lamberts said he expected the EU to make provision in the withdrawal agreement to extend the transition, but “they want to extract a price for that concession”.Lamberts said he expected the EU to make provision in the withdrawal agreement to extend the transition, but “they want to extract a price for that concession”.
BrexitBrexit
IrelandIreland
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Irish politicsNorthern Irish politics
European UnionEuropean Union
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