The European Commission's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas re-stated this Wednesday that the proposed withdrawal agreement offered to the UK is the only way to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
Barnier said in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that in a no-deal scenario, "we will be forced to check the products arriving in Northern Ireland".
Dematerialisation
The EU negotiator said his team has done considerable work on the dematerialisation and decentralisation of controls, but stopped short of answering the question whether this would be enough to avoid border posts.
"Even if there is no agreement, we will remain on our positions and we will do everything possible to ensure there is no hard frontier in Ireland," he said.
In a speech later in the day, he added that the integrity of the EU single market was at stake: "Any goods arriving in Northern Ireland enters not only Ireland, but also Belgium, Italy ore the Czech Republic. This is a European issue."
Barnier said that a no-deal Brexit would create human, social, economic and political challenges in Ireland. Arguing that all EU member states had stood with Ireland so far, he said: "In the case of a no deal, the Union will show the same solidarity. And in this scenario, the United Kingdom would bear great responsibility in finding a solution to the border issue on the island of Ireland."
"You will have a hard border"
After being pushed to speculate on Tuesday that "you will have a hard border" in Ireland if there is no Brexit deal, chief European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas, too, elaborated on the European position this Wednesday.
"The EU is determined to do all it can, deal or no deal, to avoid the need for a border and to protect peace in Northern Ireland. The EU is fully behind Ireland and we have expressed on numerous occasion full solidarity with Ireland," Schinas said, adding that the Commission would continue to remind the British government of its responsibilities under the Good Friday Agreement.
However, he also warned: "At the same time, Ireland and the EU have responsibilities as regards the protection of the single market and of the customs union. A product that enters Northern Ireland coming from another part of the UK enters the single market as a whole."
Backstop
This is the backstop scenario: if there is no long-term trade agreement between the EU and the UK, Northern Ireland must remain in the EU single market to avoid checks with the Republic. To avoid checks between NI and Britain, the UK has chosen to apply the backstop to its entire territory if needed.
"This is the reason for which the backstop that is part of the withdrawal agreement is of fundamental importance," said Schinas. "This is why the withdrawal agreement is the best and only possible deal, available on the table and not open for renegotiation."
Additional reporting by Phelim O'Neill in Brussels.
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The European Commission's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas re-stated this Wednesday that the proposed withdrawal agreement offered to the UK is the only way to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
Barnier said in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that in a no-deal scenario, "we will be forced to check the products arriving in Northern Ireland".
Dematerialisation
The EU negotiator said his team has done considerable work on the dematerialisation and decentralisation of controls, but stopped short of answering the question whether this would be enough to avoid border posts.
"Even if there is no agreement, we will remain on our positions and we will do everything possible to ensure there is no hard frontier in Ireland," he said.
In a speech later in the day, he added that the integrity of the EU single market was at stake: "Any goods arriving in Northern Ireland enters not only Ireland, but also Belgium, Italy ore the Czech Republic. This is a European issue."
Barnier said that a no-deal Brexit would create human, social, economic and political challenges in Ireland. Arguing that all EU member states had stood with Ireland so far, he said: "In the case of a no deal, the Union will show the same solidarity. And in this scenario, the United Kingdom would bear great responsibility in finding a solution to the border issue on the island of Ireland."
"You will have a hard border"
After being pushed to speculate on Tuesday that "you will have a hard border" in Ireland if there is no Brexit deal, chief European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas, too, elaborated on the European position this Wednesday.
"The EU is determined to do all it can, deal or no deal, to avoid the need for a border and to protect peace in Northern Ireland. The EU is fully behind Ireland and we have expressed on numerous occasion full solidarity with Ireland," Schinas said, adding that the Commission would continue to remind the British government of its responsibilities under the Good Friday Agreement.
However, he also warned: "At the same time, Ireland and the EU have responsibilities as regards the protection of the single market and of the customs union. A product that enters Northern Ireland coming from another part of the UK enters the single market as a whole."
Backstop
This is the backstop scenario: if there is no long-term trade agreement between the EU and the UK, Northern Ireland must remain in the EU single market to avoid checks with the Republic. To avoid checks between NI and Britain, the UK has chosen to apply the backstop to its entire territory if needed.
"This is the reason for which the backstop that is part of the withdrawal agreement is of fundamental importance," said Schinas. "This is why the withdrawal agreement is the best and only possible deal, available on the table and not open for renegotiation."
Additional reporting by Phelim O'Neill in Brussels.
Read more
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