Key points...backstop scrapped and no more EU meddling
BORIS Johnson’s new Brexit deal does away with the Irish backstop and ends the rule of EU law in our country.
Here are the key points of the deal:
THE BACKSTOP
Both sides agreed to scrap the Northern Ireland backstop and replace it with a four-point plan: 1) CUSTOMS
Northern Ireland will quit the EU’s customs union with the rest of the United Kingdom after Brexit.
This means the province will be able to benefit from any free-trade agreements signed by the Government after departing the bloc.
To prevent a “hard border”, Northern Ireland will apply the EU’s customs code and collect trade tariffs set by Brussels on products arriving from Great Britain and destined for consumption in the Republic of Ireland.
A joint committee will decide what products will be subject to tariffs.
Their decision will be based on the “risk” that the goods will cross the border into the Republic of Ireland or another EU destination.
The Government will refund firms for tariffs charged on goods that ultimately remain in Northern Ireland.
Senior UK Government officials said allowing Northern Ireland to leave the EU’s customs union was the “biggest concession” made by Brussels during negotiations.
2) REGULATION
Northern Ireland will remain aligned to the EU’s rulebook for agri-food and goods.
If Brussels decides to introduce wholly new rules, Northern Ireland can decide to adopt them.
If the UK decides to reject the new rules, the joint committee will consider alternative solutions to work around the problem.
3) VAT
Northern Ireland will have to abide by the EU’s value added tax rules, which set a five per cent minimum rate.
But the province will also be allowed to have differentVAT rates to the rest of the United Kingdom, which is normally against the bloc’s rules.
The Government secured a number ofVAT exemptions that allow Northern Ireland to set rates at zero per cent.
4) CONSENT
The UK and EU have agreed an ongoing consent mechanism that
Juncker in Brussels to verbally agree the deal over the phone.
Number 10 aides sent out a twoword message saying: “Deal done.”
At 11.34am, Mr Juncker announced the deal on Twitter, saying: “Where there is a will, there is a deal – we have one!”
Once he was at the EU Council summit the Prime Minister was seen being warmly congratulated by EU leaders. Mr Johnson and Mr Juncker smiled broadly as they faced the cameras.
Significantly Mr Juncker appeared to rule out giving the UK more time if Parliament opposes the deal tomorrow, saying: “We have a deal, and this deal means that there is no need for any kind of prolongation.”
He added: “Thank you Boris for I have to say excellent relations we had throughout the last weeks. I am happy that we have a deal and sad that Great Britain will leave the EU. This is not a happy day, this is an orderly divorce. There are no happy divorces.”
But he also said: “The deal is not about us, the deal is about people and peace.”
EU leaders arriving for the summit were pleased and relieved.
Hailed
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the deal as “good news”.
French president Emmanuel Macron hailed the accord as “good news”. And he said he was “reasonably confident it can be ratified by the British and European parliaments”.
And Irish premier Leo Varadkar, whose determination to avoid a hard border in Ireland has been a key issue, said: “It’s a good agreement. It allows the UK to leave the EU in an orderly fashion with a transition period and also creates a unique solution for Northern Ireland recognising the unique history and geography. That new solution does what we need it to do.”