Deal over no hard border a ‘fairy tale’: claim
THE deal made between the UK and EU to avoid a hard Irish border is a “fairy tale”, an EU source has said.
Last December London committed to maintaining all EU rules and regulations after Brexit so as to avoid a need for a major customs infrastructure between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
However, the UK’s affirmation this week that it is to leave the customs union means customs checks on the border are more likely.
It is a “fairy tale to think” there will be no border posts with the UK outside the customs union, said the EU source.
Only on “another planet” will the UK be able to do free trade agreements with other countries and have different standards without strong border control, they said.
Many EU diplomats have said the pledge was a “fudge” designed to move the UK to the next phase in talks. “The EU knows it, the UK knows it, the Irish know it,” the EU source said.
Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney denied it was a “fudge” and said it contained “clear commitments” that will be transformed into a legal text along with deals on other issues like EU citizens’ rights by March.
He was responding to questions from Irish Labour leader Brendan Howlin who said pro-Brexit ministers in the Government have described as “absolute rubbish” any talk of UK rules being aligned with those of the EU. “The matters that were negotiated on the border were very clear,” Mr Coveney added.
Meanwhile, a failed attempt by London to outline its ambition for an EU-UK relationship post-Brexit is causing major jitters in Dublin.
“The more time passes without clarity the more concerning it gets,” an Irish source said.