Juncker pushes for flexible land borders in post-Brexit Europe
WHILE the EU has given its clearest indication yet that it is against a hard border in Ireland post-Brexit, it will be a while before there is clarity on what this means.
Commission president JeanClaude Juncker pushed for “land borders being as open as possible” once the UK leaves.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said last week that the matter was “political” rather than “technological”, seeming to suggest that the details can be worked out easily later.
But he admitted there were “political challenges” on the border issues given the UK’s intention to quit the single market, and possibly the customs union.
Mr Kenny wants iron-clad guarantees on the border and on Northern Ireland to feature in a future EU-UK divorce treaty, but this won’t be finalised until late next year.
EU Brexit negotiators will prioritise citizenship rights for EU and UK nationals once talks finally kick off in April, with customs and tariff issues coming much later under a future EU-UK trade deal.
There is unease among farmers, not only in Ireland, but across Europe about what Brexit will mean for them.
In a new study on the EU cattle and dairy sectors for the European Parliament, German farmers and processors say the new tariff agreements between the UK and EU will be “crucial”.
While they forecast continued UK demand for high-quality EU supplies, especially if the pound remains weak, they do fear a surge in import prices for Irish, Danish, Dutch and German meat.
Dutch farmers’ concern is the dairy sector — the Netherlands is the the EU’s third-largest dairy producer — while Polish farmers, who don’t export much to the UK, are aware of Ireland’s position.
British farmers are worried about the beef and sheep meat trade, and highlighted the “danger that tariffs might be imposed which inhibit supply chains”.
They also fear a “danger of becoming flooded by high quality beef ” if the UK signs new trade deals with New Zealand, Australia and South America after Brexit.
The UK is only 60pc self-sufficient when it comes to beef and sheep meat, and imports much of the shortfall from Ireland and the Netherlands. It also exports lamb and sheep to France and Germany.
The Taoiseach will be in Brussels again this week for Brexit talks following a meeting last week with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.