EU official says Irish border issue can be worked out
BRUSSELS — European Union Brexit envoy Michel Barnier said Tuesday that his team is studying ways to carry out checks on goods moving into Northern Ireland in an effort to overcome a major obstacle in the negotiations, on the eve of a summit of EU leaders.
Brussels and London are struggling to come up with a solution that would keep the border open between Ireland and Northern Ireland, just six months before Britain leaves the bloc.
“We are clarifying which goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. would need to be checked, and where, when and by whom these checks could be performed,” he said, adding that “most checks can take place away from the border, at a company premises or in the markets.”
Addressing concerns that a hard border might be created, Barnier said “what we are talking about is not a border, neither on land or at sea. No. It is a set of technical controls and checks, a lot of which, most, can be put in place and carried out in places other than physically in Northern Ireland.”
European Council President Donald Tusk warned earlier Tuesday that both sides could yet fail to reach an agreement.
In Tokyo, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted that the U.K. will flourish with or without a deal.
A “no-deal” Brexit is possible,
Hunt said in an interview, “but I don’t think it’s in anyone’s interest for that to happen. So that’s why we are cautiously optimistic that we will get a deal. But there’s a lot of work to do to get there.”