Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IRISH BORDER CHECKS WILL BE ‘UNAVOIDABLE’
Brexit chief warns Ulster may suffer under PM’S exit plans
CHECKS on the border will be “unavoidable” under Theresa May’s Brexit plans, it was warned yesterday.
And agreement on a transition period to smooth Britain’s exit from the EU is “not a given”, Brussels’ chief negotiator on the issue has said.
After the latest round of talks between officials, Michel Barnier revealed three “substantial” disagreements remain. These included:
The UK’S refusal to guarantee permanent rights to EU nationals who come to live and work in Britain during the transition period
The UK’S demand for a right to object to the application of any new EU rules and laws introduced during the transition period, and
Britain’s wish to continue participating in the development of new policies in the area of justice and home affairs during the transition.
Declaring himself “surprised” by the UK stance, Mr Barnier said Britain had to accept the “ineluctable consequences” of its own decision to quit the EU.
He added: “To be quite frank, if these disagreements persist the transition is not a given. Time is short, very short, and we haven’t a minute to lose if we want to succeed.”
Mr Barnier also confirmed Brussels is drawing up a legal definition of the regulatory alignment that must continue between Northern Ireland and the EU in order to avoid the creation of a hard border.
He told a press conference in the Belgian capital that London had so far provided no proposals for a technological fix which could get round this.
Mr Barnier’s comments came after the EU’S publication of a position paper on the proposed transition deal provoked fury from Brexit Secretary David Davis, who branded the document “discourteous” and “unwise”.
SDLP Brexit spokeswoman Claire Hanna welcomed the “strong defence of Northern Ireland’s economic, social and political interests”.
She said: “Once again, the European Union’s negotiating team has been forced to make a strong intervention to defend the economic and social interests of Northern Ireland from the calamity of London’s rudderless Brexit strategy.
“If Theresa May does not alter course, Michel Barnier is right to say in no uncertain terms withdrawing from the Single Market and Customs Union will make border checks unavoidable.
“It’s clear the only way to avoid a hard border on this island is to maintain access to the Single Market and the Customs Union.
“It really doesn’t matter how you dress it up to soften the blow to hardline Brexiteers – the end result must be that in areas of North-south co-operation, our rules must mirror those of Europe.”