‘Flexible solutions’ called for over Irish border issue

BRUSSELS HAS stressed the need for Britain to take responsibility for identifying a unique solution for the Irish border in the wake of Brexit.

In a four-page document on the critical issue for the island of Ireland, negotiators in Brussels have warned that it is more than just a customs problem.

The EU’s negotiating team said they were not offering solutions on how cross-border trade and travel will be protected on the island of Ireland. They said the onus was on the UK to come up with ideas to avoid a hard border, including checkpoints.

“It is the responsibility of the United Kingdom to ensure that its approach to the challenges of the Irish border in the context of its withdrawal from the European Union takes into account and protects the very specific and interwoven political, economic, security, societal and agricultural context and frameworks on the island of Ireland,” the paper states.

“These challenges will require a unique solution which cannot serve to preconfigure solutions in the context of the wider discussions on the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom.”

The Brussels document warned that a thorough understanding of the issues beyond customs rules is needed to move negotiations forward. It called for the negotiations to secure a political commitment to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the gains of the peace process.

It said these gains need to be strengthened, including the societal benefits and the normalisation of community relations in Northern Ireland and northsouth.

“Flexible and imaginative solutions will be required to avoid a hard border, including any physical border infrastructure,” the paper states.