Can EU stomach it? Key concession Brussels HAS to make for Brexit deal to happen
WITH Boris Johnson piling the pressure the EU, a political analyst has said the “litmus test” is now whether Brussels can accept Northern Ireland “remaining in the UK’s customs union”.
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And Pieter Cleppe, head of the Open Europe think tank’s Brussels Office, suggested the EU was extremely wary that bending the rules for Britain could have wider implications for the bloc as a whole. Mr Johnson has already wrung a key concession from the EU after they accepted the possibility of reopening the sealed agreement, which was negotiated by former PM Theresa May, provided the UK offered a viable alternative to the backstop plan aimed at preventing a hard border between the north and the Irish Republic.
The EU had previously insisted the sealed agreement could not be opened in any circumstances, but Mr Johnson yesterday told MPs: “There can be no path to a deal except by reopening the Withdrawal Agreement and replacing the so-called backstop.”
Mr Cleppe told Express.co.uk: “The EU is still reserving judgement and seems eager not to shoot it down just yet.
“There is a clear welcoming of the UK concession for Northern Ireland to align with EU regulations, but Brussels seems a bit shy to openly say they do not appreciate the democratic say for Northern Ireland’s institutions over this.
The real litmus test will be whether the EU accepts that Northern Ireland will simply remain in the UK’s customs union, something that it has always been very uneasy over
“This can all be fudged, but the real litmus test will be whether the EU accepts that Northern Ireland will simply remain in the UK’s customs union, something that it has always been very uneasy over, even if this is broadly accepted in UK politics.
“Labour may want the UK to stay in the same customs union as the EU, but also for them, customs checks in the Irish Sea are a bridge too far.”
Mr Cleppe added: “Only when the EU accepts this point will it be possible to then engage on how to make sure any customs checks in Northern Ireland do not result in a hard border.
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“Given that limited customs checks at company premises aren’t possible for smaller companies, the EU will need to concede to exemptions for small traders, as well as to agreeing to derogations to its own rules, which are possible but which the EU has so far been reluctant to consider.”
European Council President Donald Tusk said yesterday the bloc remained fully united behind Ireland.
Speaking of Mr Johnson’s proposals he said: “We remain open but still unconvinced.”
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After speaking to Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the proposal had a number of problematic issues.
Mr Johnson made what his office said was his final Brexit pitch to the EU on Wednesday, offering a possible compromise on the backstop which initially drew a cautious welcome by the EU.
He went further than many expected on trying to solve the dilemma over the border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland - with a proposal for an all-island regulatory zone to cover all goods.
A senior EU official said the plan “can’t fly”.
They added: “It does not contain any decent solution for customs.
“And it erects a hard border on the island of Ireland.”
An EU diplomat said the plan would need to be fundamentally reworked to become acceptable.
Mr Johnson is racing against time to agree a deal prior to the European Council meeting on October 17.
If he fails to do so, he is required by the Benn Act passed last month to request an extension to Article 50 - something he has said he would “rather die in a ditch” than do.