“The Brexit agreements will no longer be negotiated”: the refusal of the Irish ambassador at the request of the United Kingdom

Crossing borders and customs between the UK and the Republic of Ireland has been one of the most difficult issues to resolve in the Brexit negotiations. Even today, with the signed agreements, still the main puzzle for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who encountered many difficulties in applying the protocol that he himself promoted.

From the outset, the parties have been keen to prevent the return of a physical border between Northern Ireland – which belongs to the United Kingdom – and the Republic of Ireland. The elimination of this barrier was the main achievement obtained with the agreement of the Good Friday in 1998, which ended decades of conflict between the two Irish women. As until Brexit, they all belonged to Europe, there was no difficulty in implementation. But now the customs union had to be renegotiated on Irish soil.

The solution that the British government found was to place a customs office in its own territory, when the products enter Northern Ireland and not when they pass through the Republic of Ireland. But Prime Minister Johnson found that this produces shortages, clashes and great unease of the Northern Irish for having encountered a “border” on their own territory. Such was the difficulty that Johnson himself called on Europe to “reconsider” the signed deal. They rejected it out of hand.

“I do not see possible that it is modified“, Admitted in an interview with TN.com.ar the ambassador of Ireland in Argentina, Jacqueline O’halloran. It thus adds to the firm position maintained by the European Union. The diplomatic representative also admitted that there were complications in the implementation but hoped that “it is a matter of time” until they can be resolved.

– At what stage is the application of the protocol on customs clearance with Northern Ireland? How are the negotiations with the United Kingdom going?

– For Ireland, Brexit has always been a very important challenge, we are still working to find solutions. The economic part was very important, but the central objective is to protect the peace process which has been going on for more than 20 years. It is very important not to come back to a hard border. We are happy that the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland was included in the Withdrawal Agreement, where it was established that there will be no border.

– The United Kingdom has encountered complications in the implementation of the agreement reached, can it be renegotiated?

– I do not see possible that the agreement is changed. These were 4-year negotiations already agreed to by the parties. With the cooperation and trade agreement, a large part of the goods are included and do not need controls, which remains, for example, the food sector. We are working to find a way to implement the controls that have already been negotiated.

– What are the problems that persist then?

– This was agreed at the last minute, so some practical implementation issues were left out. In June, the European Union therefore granted the United Kingdom a grace period to find solutions to the measures. We are working to find solutions together.

– Do you think it was negotiated in a hurry?

– Well, this has been negotiated for a long time, but these are very important questions. We always knew it would be hard to come to an agreement, especially since there were quite distant positions. Avoiding a border was essential for us. This would mark a step backwards in the peace process.

– What can be the consequence if a physical border is placed with Northern Ireland?

– The island is shared. The fact that there were no more borders after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was very important. During the years of civil war, the border stopped the violence. Neither we nor the UK government want to go back on this. As far as the people are concerned, there has always been an agreement on free movement between citizens. The problem is the goods coming from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. I am hopeful that it will be resolved, it is a matter of time. We will find a way to implement the agreement which is already a fact.

– So, from what you say, putting a physical border would break the peace process …

– It would be a very difficult step for the peace process. From the day the UK voted for Brexit, Ireland looked for a way to avoid this backtracking. In fact, the citizens of Northern Ireland did not vote in favor of Brexit.

Referendum possible in the post-Brexit world

Another of the headaches Brexit brought to Downing Street 10 was that the Internal Customs deal rekindled the specter that Northern Ireland hold a referendum to decide whether to stay in the UK. It is important to keep in mind that this is a territory which at the time voted to remain within the European Union. Now the Unionists, who want to remain under the reign of the crown, feel the risk that the Republicans prevail to boost the vote for permanence in the kingdom or not.

– What is your assessment of the possibility for Northern Ireland to call a referendum for its permanence in the United Kingdom?

– Our government believes that it is time to consolidate what has been accomplished over the past 20 years, that is to say to continue dialogue and reconciliation in order to forge positive links. The agreement leaves open the possibility of holding a referendum and now he may gain more strength and in a few years it will be done. From the point of view of the Republic of Ireland, it is important to find solutions to the current problems. Last year the government launched a program called “A shared island”, which means organizing events and acts to reflect on a future where there can be more constitutional changes. It’s a conversation that has just started.

– But would the Republic of Ireland support a Nordic referendum?

– It’s a British decision. We want to find ways to keep making progress in the Good Friday peace process. There is a lot of work to be done before we think about other constitutional steps.

– How do you see the UK after Brexit? Is it more isolated?

– This is a very important relationship for us and for the EU. It will continue to be a country with which we want to have a very strong relationship. The world has many challenges and we need partners to share common values ​​and interests. We believe that the signed agreements are the basis for continuing to have a strong relationship with the UK. The first months of the year were marked by many disruptions, especially commercial. Over the months, everything is normalized.

The request to deepen the commercial aspect with Argentina

Although Ambassador Jacqueline O’halloran did not hesitate to reiterate that “Ireland and Argentina have a very deep history” in bilateral relations, in a soft tone of criticism she assured that her country believes that ‘it is possible to “deepen the business side” as “both have a lot more to offer”. Argentina mainly imports medical products, software and computer hardware from the island, while it sells oils and animal feed. A relatively small market. “We feel it was a bit late,” complained the diplomatic representative in the country.

In addition, and in accordance with the large number of young people who have sought in recent years to emigrate from Argentina, the Ambassador confirmed that before the pandemic increased by almost 50% the applications for temporary work visas that Ireland offers to Argentines. “There is a strong social exchange and great interest from young people,” he said, then said they plan to deepen it once the world starts to return to normal after the pandemic.