EU urges Britain to come up with detailed Brexit plan

BRITAIN must translate speeches into treaties and come up with a detailed plan for its post-Brexit ties with the EU, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said yesterday.

EU leaders have been pressing British Prime Minister Theresa May to clarify what she wants before they agree to their position on the future economic partnership at a summit to be held later this month.

A series of speeches by May and her senior ministers have done little to satisfy Brussels, and Juncker warned it was particularly crucial for London to clarify its plans for the sensitive issue of the Irish border.

“As the clock counts down with one year to go, it is now time to turn commitments into agreements, and broad suggestions and wishes on future relationship into specific, workable solutions,” Juncker said.

He said it was especially important that Britain came up with concrete proposals for the border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is staying in the EU.

Both Britain and the EU have vowed to avoid the return of customs checks to the border and an interim deal in December left some flexibility on the issue, but an EU text putting the agreement into law has sparked a fresh row with London.

“For us this is not an Irish issue, it is a European issue. It is all for one and one for all – that is what it means to be part of this union,” Juncker said. – AFP