‘EU says no hard border’ – May

Varadkar welcomes UK claims, but wants ‘details’

THE EU has agreed with the UK that there can not be any ‘physical border’ on the island of Ireland after Brexit, Theresa May has claimed.

However, a member of the Taoiseach’s delegation to this week’s European Council summit, said, despite Mrs May’s remarks, there was no formal agreement from the other EU states about the border.

The source told the Irish Daily Mail that the EU states had already mandated the Barnier negotiating team to seek minimum disruption in Ireland, post-Brexit.

At the close of the summit in Brussels yesterday, Mrs May said it was vital the UK’s exit has no impact on the peace process. The Good Friday Agreement must be at the heart of any deal, she said.

‘Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances demand specific solutions. It’s vital that joint work on the peace process is not affected in any way. It’s too important for that.

‘Both sides agree that there can not be any physical infrastructure at the border.’

She added that EU leaders also gave commitments that the Common Travel Area between Britain and Ireland should be protected.

The member of the Taoiseach’s delegation said: ‘This is the first full public endorsement of the Irish position by the British prime minister without qualification.

‘[She] has repeated the Irish Government position, with regard to the border, to the other heads of government at their meeting in council.

‘However, we await the details as to how the British intend to make that happen.

‘There are no details yet of what she promised, so there is no formal approval to be given. But she was advocating no change.’

The EU’s Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, last month said Europe’s aim for the first round of talks is to ensure that the Common Travel Area and the Good Friday Agreement are not affected.

However, he said he was worried by British proposals published in August that would see larger companies pre-register to cross the border without checks, and smaller business given a waiver.

‘What I see in the UK paper on Ireland and Northern Ireland worries me,’ he told a press conference at the time.

The inside member of Leo Varadkar’s team told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘Leo has been working on the other leaders, getting them to understand why the border in Ireland is not like any other border between EU states.

‘He has told them what would happen if a hard frontier came back. They get it.’

Earlier, Mr Varadkar revealed that Mrs May had made the British position on the border clear in her address at the summit dinner on Thursday.

He said he was heartened by her strengthened language.

‘She specifically referenced the unique situation for both Ireland and Northern Ireland, which I think was very positive,’ he said.

‘She strengthened her language in relation to the border. She said the UK would not accept a physical border on the island of Ireland – again, very positive language.’

However, the Taoiseach repeated his call for more detail. ‘We don’t have more detail yet. In a sense, that’s part of the difficulty. We need to see sentiment backed up.’

He said there was wide support from leaders at the summit over the Irish question.

‘There’s a real understanding around the table... that Ireland is unique... and that this is not a problem of our creation,’ he said. ‘I do think there will be flexibility for us.’

senan.molony@dailymail.ie

‘Unique circumstances’