With just 65 days to go until the UK exits the EU, time is running out to get a trade deal on Brexit. However, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney says he is still hopeful for a deal and told the Irish Farmers Journal 2020 Vision webinar that at the very least Ireland needed a “pretty thin trade deal”.

“What I mean by that is that at an absolute minimum we need a trade deal that avoids tariffs on trade across the Irish Sea,” he said.

The cost of failure here politically is very, very expensive for all sides

The minister pointed out that a deal is in the best interests of the UK as well as Europe.

“Of course, the UK is looking to be facilitated by the EU in many many areas from accessing the EU energy markets to an aviation agreement to a road haulage agreement to a judicial cooperation agreement to agreements around services and financial services, and so on. And that's why these issues can only be resolved in the context of an overall package of compromises, which allows for a bit of give and take on both sides.”

Minister Coveney acknowledged a range of challenges, particularly in regard to fisheries, but said that all sides were aware of the repercussions of not reaching an agreement.

“The cost of failure here politically is very, very expensive for all sides, particularly for the UK. And that's why I think we are likely to get a deal but it won't be easy,” he said.

Northern Ireland

He said he hoped a deal would be reached that could bypass the issues facing agricultural trade with Northern Ireland post-Brexit and termed the legislation the British government was trying to pass, which would essentially break international law, as “outrageous”.

But he warned that come 1 January 2021 there would be no more extensions.

“No more transition periods. Time is up. At the end of the year, there'll be a new trading environment. [If] there's no trade deal, it will be basically on the basis of WTO standards,” he said.

You can watch the webinar here.

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