Seeking Brexit deal, EU eyes compromise on Irish border

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Seeking Brexit deal, EU eyes compromise on Irish border

By Gabriela Baczynska

 

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is welcomed by European Council President Donald Tusk ahead of a meeting to discuss Brexit in Brussels, Belgium October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union negotiators see the outline of a compromise on the Irish border issue which is holding up Brexit talks, EU sources told Reuters on Thursday, raising hopes that a new British offer could unlock a deal.

 

Prime Minister Theresa May has promised new proposals and sketchy details seen so far have found a tentative welcome in Brussels as the sides push for a deal with 176 days to Brexit.

 

"This is a step in the right direction," said one EU source close to the negotiations. "It makes finding a compromise possible."

 

A second source said EU negotiator Michel Barnier was looking at where the bloc could make improvements to what it has offered London as both sides race to overcome the remaining obstacles to a Brexit deal before a high-stakes EU summit on Oct. 17-18.

 

"We are definitely engaging with Britain" on ways to break the deadlock over what is known as the "Irish backstop", said an EU diplomat following the negotiations.

 

Barnier himself said negotiations were in their final stages and the EU was working "hand-in-hand" with the Irish government.

 

"To agree to any deal, we need to have a legally sound backstop solution for Ireland and Northern Ireland," Barnier said after meeting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

 

Britain has yet to formally deliver its new ideas, Varadkar said, notably about a fall-back option to keep the whole of the United Kingdom in a customs union with the EU.

 

Varadkar said Dublin was open in principle to anything that helps escape extensive Irish border checks but voiced caution on an all-UK customs union, which the EU has once rejected before.

 

The EU is insisting on a "backstop" clause in any withdrawal treaty to avoid erecting border posts between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if London and Brussels cannot agree a trade pact for the future.

 

A seamless border is part of the settlement which largely ended decades of violence in the province.

 

Signals that the EU was willing to engage with the new plan taking shape in London sent the pound rising against the dollar.

 

Varadkar also met EU summit chair Donald Tusk in Brussels.

 

Tusk urged May to put a round of angry rhetoric behind and get down to sealing an agreement that would preserve peace in Ireland and open the way to a post-Brexit relationship he called "Canada plus plus plus" -- combining free trade deal like the one agreed with Canada with close security, global affairs, research and other cooperation.

 

Another senior EU diplomat said the bloc's offer was to have "zero tariffs and zero quotas" in UK trade afterBrexit.

 

TIGHT TIMING

EU diplomats and officials described an emerging new proposal under which Britain would agree to an indefinite border backstop solution, a commitment missing in London's previous proposal rejected by the remaining 27 EU states last June.

 

But Britain would stick to its line that, if the backstop was triggered, the whole of the United Kingdom would stay in a customs union with the EU. That would mean having the same external tariff on some goods, as the EU currently has with Turkey, and curb Britain's ability to strike trade deals with other countries.

 

Under the British proposal described by EU sources, that would remove the need for customs checks on goods and agriculture on the island of Ireland.

 

While Varadkar has not ruled that out point-blank, he told a Brussels news conference: "There would be constraints. A lot of countries would take the view that any UK-wide arrangement is really a matter for future relations rather than a backstop which is about Ireland and Northern Ireland," he said.

 

The EU has feared such an arrangement could allow Britain to use Northern Ireland's special access to the bloc's single market to push goods that did not conform to high EU norms, and hence be sold cheaper.

 

For separate regulatory checks, Britain would agree to simplified, light controls on goods going from the British mainland to Northern Ireland that would be carried out away from the actual border as much as possible, according to EU sources describing the emerging proposal.

 

That is difficult for May, whose government relies on the support of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party which vehemently opposes differing rules on its soil from the rest of the United Kingdom. Barnier is due to meet the DUP head Arlene Foster next week.

 

EU and Britain are seeking "decisive progress" on the Irish issue in time for a leaders summit due Oct.17-18 and then a final deal, including a blueprint of future relations, at another one in mid-November.

 

Should they succeed, Britain would get a status-quo transition period after Brexit until the end of 2020. Should they fail, London faces crashing out of the bloc next March with little to replace four decades of closest cooperation from trade to security to air traffic.

 

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Toby Chopra and Richard Balmforth)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-05

[mfd101]

Entering the final straight, lifting out of the saddle, from trot to canter ...

 

[terryw]

There are only 2 options, a Canada type Free Trade Deal or No deal.

 

Mr Barnier will get nothing from Arlene Foster except straight talking about the realities of trying to change Irish politics.

[Guest]

Sinn Fein seems to have become more and more popular in Northern Ireland after the Brexit vote. 

 

The Good Friday agreement dictates that Northern Ireland could and should have a referendum in case the people are showing the will to leave United Kingdom and possibly join to United Ireland. Well, that would solve the Northern Ireland border Brexit problem once and for all.

 

Interesting times ahead. 

 

 

[Guest]

Brexit from an Irish perspective - Dáithí O’Ceallaigh

Worth to watch.

 

 

[Guest]

Brexit from an Irish perspective - Dáithí O’Ceallaigh

Worth to watch.

 

 

[dunroaming]

There will be reports like this every day just like the other thread about the possibility of reversing Brexit.  None of them mean anything, it is just media hype.  Still it keeps the Brexit threads ticking along nicely ????

[Guest]

10 hours ago, dunroaming said:

There will be reports like this every day just like the other thread about the possibility of reversing Brexit.  None of them mean anything, it is just media hype.  Still it keeps the Brexit threads ticking along nicely ????

Nobody is reversing Brexit. Brexit is reality and it's going to happen.

 

There are just huge amount of issues, which have not been solved and which should be solved before UK exits the Union on next March. 

 

Northern Irish border is one of those issues. If it's true, that England, which is leading the Brexit, didn't even consider what will happen to Northern Ireland, that gives a pretty grim insight how little England thinks about other parts of the country.

 

This opens the door for real possibility that Northern Ireland will leave UK. Once they do that, Scotland will think about the same. 

 

Poor Wales. Nobody thinks what happens to them. 

Edited October 5, 2018 by Guest

[Jip99]

35 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Nobody is reversing Brexit. Brexit is reality and it's going to happen.

 

There are just huge amount of issues, which have not been solved and which should be solved before UK exits the Union on next March. 

 

Northern Irish border is one of those issues. If it's true, that England, which is leading the Brexit, didn't even consider what will happen to Northern Ireland, that gives a pretty grim insight how little England thinks about other parts of the country.

 

This opens the door for real possibility that Northern Ireland will leave UK. Once they do that, Scotland will think about the same. 

 

Poor Wales. Nobody thinks what happens to them. 

 

 

Your first 2 paragraphs were fine but then you slipped into generalized, unsubstantiated nonsense.

 

Just because Cameron, or his EU buddies, didn’t have all the answers is no reason for wild accusations that the UK is not interested in the ‘home countries ‘. Remember, without Wales there would be no Brexit.

 

If I were you Oili, I would focus on saving whales.

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Your first 2 paragraphs were fine but then you slipped into generalized, unsubstantiated nonsense.

 

Just because Cameron, or his EU buddies, didn’t have all the answers is no reason for wild accusations that the UK is not interested in the ‘home countries ‘. Remember, without Wales there would be no Brexit.

 

If I were you Oili, I would focus on saving whales.

Why don't you start providing solutions instead of constantly whining and trying to put blame to everybody else?

 

It's your Brexit. Take responsibility of your actions. You know, like real men do.

 

[Jip99]

19 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Why don't you start providing solutions instead of constantly whining and trying to put blame to everybody else?

 

It's your Brexit. Take responsibility of your actions. You know, like real men do.

 

 

I think you are confusing me with a politician.

 

 

Again, you are away with the fairies,  making things up.... what has this got to do with “blame” and taking responsibility.

 

I took responsibility by making the effort to vote to leave....... and, bugger me, that is exactly what is happening.

 

 

 

Now trot on, Brexit is nothing to do with you.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Jip99

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Jip99 said:

I think you are confusing me with a politician.

 

Again, you are away making things up.... what has this got to do with “blame” and taking responsibility.

 

I took responsibility by making the effort to vote to leave....... and, bugger me, that is ex  what is happening.

 

Now trot on, Brexit is nothing to do with you.

You Brits as whole own Brexit negotiations, you who voted for leave have even stronger responsibility for Brexit. You voted for it, now carry it through. Your vote was just a start of this two year period and the years which comes afterwards. 

 

Own it. 

 

Brexit is as important to me than it is to you. If you think Brexit is affecting only one side of the table, god save the Britain, or what is going to be left of it. You really can't be that numb skull, like a brit elegantly put it. 

 

 

[Jip99]

12 minutes ago, oilinki said:

You Brits as whole own Brexit negotiations, you who voted for leave have even stronger responsibility for Brexit. You voted for it, now carry it through. Your vote was just a start of this two year period and the years which comes afterwards. 

 

Own it. 

 

Brexit is as important to me than it is to you. If you think Brexit is affecting only one side of the table, god save the Britain, or what is going to be left of it. You really can't be that numb skull, like a brit elegantly put it. 

 

 

 

 

Typical EU diehard...... just push all the responsibilty on to other people.

 

 

Government without responsibility.

 

I really will not miss you and your sort. You all say how better you will be without the UK - good, off you go and indulge yourself in the United States of Europe.

 

We won't bother you.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Jip99 said:

Typical EU diehard...... just push all the responsibilty on to other people.

 

Government without responsibility.

 

I really will not miss you and your sort. You all say how better you will be without the UK - good, off you go and indulge yourself in the United States of Europe.

 

We won't bother you.

Yup. I'm the horrifying European type, who demands Brexiteers to carry responsibility of their own actions. 

 

I hope you enjoy your infinity cake. 

[Jip99]

40 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Yup. I'm the horrifying European type, who demands Brexiteers to carry responsibility of their own actions. 

 

I hope you enjoy your infinity cake. 

 

 

 

I am enjoying Greek cake at the moment.

 

Good company for me as they don’t have a good word for the EU either.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

I am enjoying Greek cake at the moment.

 

Good company for me as they don’t have a good word for the EU either.

Do they tell you stories how they beat the Persians and saved Europe during the battle of Marathon? 

[Jip99]

2 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Do they tell you stories how they beat the Persians and saved Europe during the battle of Marathon? 

 

No, they focused more on current events...... their history goes before them.

[rickudon]

Ahh, the Greeks ..... who freeloaded off the EU for years thinking the gravy train would never end ......... it did, and now it is the EU's fault. Noticeably they are not going for Grexit. Greedy, selfish, but not utterly stupid.

[baboon]

On 10/6/2018 at 12:14 PM, oilinki said:

Do they tell you stories how they beat the Persians and saved Europe during the battle of Marathon? 

Clearly they failed seeing as Marathon became Snickers...

[champers]

26 minutes ago, baboon said:

Clearly they failed seeing as Marathon became Snickers...

.... and not forgetting Bounty.

 

[billd766]

On 10/6/2018 at 3:42 AM, oilinki said:

Why don't you start providing solutions instead of constantly whining and trying to put blame to everybody else?

 

It's your Brexit. Take responsibility of your actions. You know, like real men do.

 

 

Well that rules you out for a start.

[bristolboy]

17 hours ago, rickudon said:

Ahh, the Greeks ..... who freeloaded off the EU for years thinking the gravy train would never end ......... it did, and now it is the EU's fault. Noticeably they are not going for Grexit. Greedy, selfish, but not utterly stupid.

Actually, it was the banks who ended up freeloading off the EU. 95 percent of the money for the bailout went to bail out the banks who recklessly lent Greece the money.

[mfd101]

4 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Actually, it was the banks who ended up freeloading off the EU. 95 percent of the money for the bailout went to bail out the banks who recklessly lent Greece the money.

If I borrow $5,000,000 from a bank, money which I know I cannot hope ever to repay, the bank is clearly stupid for lending it to me without or despite due diligence on its part, but do I not have some moral & practical responsibility in the matter?

[ballpoint]

15 hours ago, champers said:

.... and not forgetting Bounty.

 

They're all a bunch of flakes.

[bristolboy]

17 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

If I borrow $5,000,000 from a bank, money which I know I cannot hope ever to repay, the bank is clearly stupid for lending it to me without or despite due diligence on its part, but do I not have some moral & practical responsibility in the matter?

And if it's impossible for you to repay, you declare bankruptcy.  Greece would have suffered terribly in any event. That would have been punishment enough. But now, it's saddled with debt that it has no way of ever repaying. Permanent servitude. The Eurozone administration's projections about how their clampdown would effect Greece's economy were absurdly optimistic. Even the IMF said so. And reality has proven just how ridiculous the Eurozone administration's projections were.

Greece should have been kicked out of the Eurozone. But that would have amounted to conceding the misguidedness of the Euro program.