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Ireland should "prepare for the worst" and may need urgent badistance from the European Union if there is a Brexit "without agreement" warned the former director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). On RTÉ Week, Pascal Lamy said that a non-deal scenario must be taken seriously because of the current divisions in the UK government.
And he said that in case of Brexit without agreement the idea that there would be no Mr. Lamy, Director General of the WTO from 2005 to 2013, said: "To be honest, I am more pessimistic today than it was six months ago. The reason is the waste of London: there does not seem to be a majority in the House of Commons to find a solution.
He said that there was a polarization between hard Brexiters and soft leftovers or soft Brexiters. "Contrary to what I read in the British press, it is a division that we can not bridge"
not a negotiation between the UK and the US. EU 27; it's a trading in the UK between forces that for the moment can not agree on a solution. "
He pointed out that Britain was originally the most ardent advocate of the construction of the domestic market." Added: "If it was a benefit then, the exit from the domestic market has a cost. So there is no way to avoid costs, anyway there will be no border. If you leave the internal market, you must have a border. "
When asked where there were borders in the world where there was no physical infrastructure, he replied," No. The most open trading systems exist either in South Africa, where there is the South African Customs Union since the beginning of the 20th century, and there is a border. And if you look at Norway-Sweden, for example, there is a border.
"So, the idea that there would be no border is a pie in the sky," he added.
"That's the reason why if we can not agree on the future trade regime and the releases of the United Kingdom in March of next year, it is must be a solution guaranteeing that there will be no border between the North and South of Ireland.
He said: "On one side he must There is a border, on the other there is no border between Ulster and the rest of Ireland, so this contradiction is there. The only solution for temporarily or perhaps forever, resolve this contradiction. "
When Jacques Delors was President of the European Commission, Mr. Lamy was his chief of staff from 1985 to 1994.
Between 1999 and 2004, Mr. Lamy was Commissioner for Trade at the European Commission under the direction by Romano Prodi
The Brexit could be in Ireland and he could see a situation where Ireland might need urgent help from the EU in this scenario, he replied that a year ago he would have said that there was a very low probability of Brexit without trade
Now he is encouraging people who run businesses to realize that it is the most expensive Brexit scenario and that Ireland will suffer the consequences.
"Yes, it is something that must be in our minds. Ireland would be the most affected in quantity and proportion, and there should be some kind of European solidarity. "
He warned that there would be people across the continent who will wonder why they should pay the bill for Britain.
" It's something we all need prepare and that we must all have in mind, "he said.
Mr. Lamy said that the EU speaks of" solidarity with the smallest and the weakest. " many echoes on the continent among the leaders of the EU.
He said: "There is a point of view on the continent that this Irish issue is extremely sensitive. I do not think there is a risk that the Irish will be dropped on this issue. "
Asked that the Irish government had left behind the recruitment of 1,000 customs and veterinary inspectors for ports and airports too late, Mr Lamy said:" I can understand why, until recently , people have not prepared for the worst case, wishing this does not happen and trying not to send signals in the scenario that they are preparing.
"I think it is not too late, the scenario without agreement is something we must now take seriously hoping that it will not happen."
In conclusion, he offered this advice to the government: it matters most for Ireland, which is not a border, and prepares for the worst, just in case. "
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