European Union’s Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier
BRUSSELS, Oct 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said new proposals from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson marked progress but lots of work was still needed for a new Brexit deal to be agreed.
“There is progress, but to be frank lots of work still needs to be done to fulfill the three objectives of the backstop: no border, all-Ireland economy and protecting the single market,” he told reporters.
“We will continue to work, work to reach a deal. No-deal will never be the choice of the EU, never. We will continue to work with the UK team … but a deal that respects and fulfils the three commitments.”
Johnson had proposes for an all-island regulatory zone to cover all goods, replacing the so-called backstop arrangement he says he cannot accept.
Besides the concession though, Johnson proposed giving Northern Ireland institutions the ongoing power to abide by or exit the regulatory zone – a possible step too far for Ireland and the EU.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed “positive advances” in Johnson’s proposals, such as the full regulatory alignment for all goods, but noted some problems.
“There are still some problematic points that will need further work in the coming days, notably with regards to the governance of the backstop,” the Commission said in a statement issued after Johnson and Juncker spoke on a call.
“The EU wants a deal. We remain united and ready to work 24/7 to make this happen – as we have been for over three years now,” it said.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told Johnson that the proposals did not fully meet agreed objectives, his spokesman said after the two leaders spoke by phone, but agreed to study them in more detail and consult with EU partners.
Guy Verhofstadt, head of the European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group, was less convinced.
Asked by a reporter if the proposal was a serious attempt to break the deadlock or designed to shift the blame on to Brussels if Britain leaves the EU without a deal, he said: “I think that last point was not so bad.”
Raoul Ruparel, former Europe adviser to Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, said the offer appeared unlikely to win over the EU.
“I cannot see the EU and Ireland agreeing to these proposals, they may not even see them as a basis for negotiations,” he said.
Opposition Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Johnson’s proposals were too vague and that the EU would not accept them.
Ireland, whose 500 km (300 mile) land border with the United Kingdom will become the frontier of the EU’s single market and customs union after Brexit, is crucial to any deal.
The problem is how to prevent Northern Ireland becoming a “back door” into the EU market without erecting border controls that could undermine the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which ended decades of political and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland in which more than 3,600 people were killed.Slideshow (11 Images)
Britain said its proposals were compatible with the peace agreement and suggested a zone of regulatory compliance across Northern Ireland and the EU to eliminate checks for trade in goods.
Before the end of a transition period after Brexit in December 2020, the Northern Ireland assembly and executive that were established under the 1998 deal would be required to give their consent to this arrangement and every four years afterwards, the seven-page document said.
Northern Ireland would stay part of the United Kingdom’s customs territory but to avoid customs checks, a declaration system would be introduced with a simplified process for small traders, along with a trusted-traders scheme.
The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, supporters of British rule of the province who back Johnson’s government, welcomed his proposals, saying they ensured that Northern Ireland would be out of the customs union and single market.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the proposals gave his party an effective veto over regulatory alignment with the EU, allowing them to back the plan.
Some lawmakers in Britain’s opposition Labour Party also signaled they could back the deal in a parliamentary vote if it was accepted by Europe and Dublin. — NNN-AGENCIES
