ICMSA takes encouragement from draft EU Brexit guidelines

THE publication of the EU’s Draft Guidelines responding to the UK’s ‘triggering’ of Article 50 has been described as encouraging and positive by the President of ICMSA, John Comer.

He said that it appeared as if cognisance had been taken of several points raised by Ireland with respect to our unique relationship with the UK and there also appeared to be recognition of certain issues pertaining to free trade agreements concluded prior to the UK invoking Article 50 and that state’s responsibility for taking some of the quotas agreed at that stage.

Mr Comer said that the widespread anxiety felt by farmers and the wider agri-food sector was particularly allayed by Point 11, made under the heading ‘Agreement on Arrangements For An Orderly Withdrawal’ which specifies that “…flexible and imaginative solutions will be required…with the aim of avoiding a hard border….In this context, the union should also recognise existing bilateral agreements and arrangements between the United Kingdom and Ireland which are compatible with EU law”.

Mr Comer noted that this was a specific undertaking and meant Ireland now had some reference by which to measure the progress reports coming from the EU’s negotiating team.

He felt Point had almost certainly been drafted with reference to trade agreements covering food imports into the EU such as Canadian beef.

“ICMSA has been watching this carefully where trade agreements were concluded particularly with Commonwealth countries like New Zealand and Canada with the active encouragement of the UK. These EU Guidelines have picked up on exactly this point so we see that in Number 13, the EU stating that: “The European Council expects the United Kingdom to honour its share of international commitments contracted in the context of its EU membership’”.

On the possibility of moving smoothly to a post-Brexit free trade agreement with the UK, Mr Comer said the guidelines appeared positive and encouraging. “We especially welcome the positive sentiments around the possibility of moving relatively quickly towards a free trade agreement with the UK, albeit one that will stop short of the level of access and terms applicable to Membership of the single market,” he said.