Barnier rejects May plan to extend her Irish Border deal across all of the UK
HOPES of a breakthrough deal on the Irish Border after Brexit have been dealt a blow after the EU rejected the latest proposal from British Prime Minister Theresa May.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a customs deal sketched out for Northern Ireland could not be just simply extended to England, Scotland and Wales. “What is feasible with a territory the size of Northern Ireland is not necessarily feasible with the whole UK,” Mr Barnier said.
He also raised doubts about the proposals, published by Mrs May on Thursday, that suggested the arrangements could be “temporary”, expiring probably in 2021. And he also hit back at people like UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson, telling them it was not the EU’s fault Britain was going to lose EU membership benefits because it wanted shot of Brussels regulations.
But he did not slam the door entirely on the UK proposals, saying his officials would study some technical points. He also urged the UK to step up its engagement in negotiations again, warning that time is running out.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave a low-key welcome to Mrs May’s proposals, saying his Government had asked a long time ago for something in writing from London. He said the document was “welcome” and “a small step” and it would now be studied by Ireland and the other EU member states.
But Mr Varadkar said it “fell short” on two important grounds. It failed to address the product standards issues, around the EU single market, and the customs proposals were also framed as temporary. “Just putting off a hard Border for two or three years, or six years or 20 years, is not acceptable,” the Taoiseach told reporters during a visit to Belfast.
The Taoiseach also offered only minimal comment on leaked remarks by the UK foreign secretary, apparently videoed at a function, late on Thursday. Mr Johnson said trade volumes across the Irish Border were very small and did not merit the attention they were getting. “We’re allowing the whole of our agenda to be dictated by this folly,” Mr Johnson said.
The Taoiseach noted that, some months ago, Mr Johnson had compared the Irish Border with the administration of the London traffic congestion charge across various boroughs. “When I want to know the views of the British government, I listen to the prime minister,” Mr Varadkar said.
Referring to the so-called “backstop” on the Irish Border, agreed in principle last December, but since rejected in its detailed proposals by London, Mr Barnier said it was not necessarily “feasible” to extend it to cover the entire UK.
He said Mrs May’s suggestion of a time-limit meant that it could not be regarded as a true backstop, providing a fallback option if the UK’s preferred permanent solution could not be agreed.
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“The temporary backstop is not in line with what we want or what Ireland and Northern Ireland want and need,” Mr Barnier said. He also echoed Mrs May’s repeated Brexit comments by saying: “Backstop means backstop.”
In a clear reference to comments by Mr Johnson, Mr Barnier said it appeared that some Brexit supporters wanted to blame Brussels because the UK cannot continue to enjoy some EU membership benefits after leaving. “We are not going to be intimidated by this form of blame game,” he said.
The EU chief negotiator also pointed to crucial withdrawal issues like data protection, geographical product identities for food and drink, and what will happen after a post-Brexit transition period expires. He made a marked reference to the absence of UK Brexit minister David Davis, and his negotiating team from Brussels for much of the first half of 2018, saying the EU team were ready to step up the talks.
After weeks of intense disagreement, Mrs May agreed a compromise document with Brexit-backing ministers Mr Davis and Mr Johnson on Thursday. These propose all of the UK keeping key elements of the EU customs union arrangements until a better arrangement is found – something which the May government expected could be in place by the end of 2021.
Mrs May said this would keep the Irish Border open, while avoiding creating a customs border between Northern Ireland and Britain.
This is the main anxiety about the EU’s backstop proposal which risks shifting the border into the Irish Sea, something which has enraged the Democratic Unionist Party, which is propping up Mrs May’s minority government.