Border issue in Ireland continues to break Brexit negotiations

Theresa May, overwhelmed by conflicting interests in her own party, first visited the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland for two days. It is there that lies the difficult link in the negotiations on Brexit: how does the border have to stay open on one island when one country is a member of the EU and not another?

– The agreement we conclude with the EU must Theresa May said during a speech in the capital Belfast

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– It is also clear that the British government can never accept a new frontier in Britain to avoid a difficult border with Ireland

The proposal of the British Government is that the country will have a Free Trade Agreement on goods, as this has recently announced in his so-called white paper. Theresa May stressed that the British proposal is a development of the country's previous position in the negotiations.

– It's up to the EU to answer. Not only return to previous positions that were not found to work. Without even developing her position, she said:

EU leaders Michel Barnier gave their response on Friday. At a press conference in Brussels, after a meeting with the remaining 27 EU countries, he wondered if the White Paper could work. He is hesitant about the proposal that the British will impose tariffs on other countries on behalf of the EU.

– Brexit can not and should not justify additional bureaucracy. We will not put more administrative burdens on companies simply because Britain wants to leave, said Michel Barnier.

He also doubts that the White Paper is really the final proposition of the United Kingdom. a very intense debate that was needed in Britain. We have seen this debate not finished yet, "said Michel Barnier

. In order to further solve the problems, the EU and Britain do not agree on how to interpret an urgent solution agreed by the parties in December. The emergency solution will come in if a permanent solution can not be reached in Ireland.

This emergency solution, called "backstop", means that Northern Ireland will remain a member of the EU Customs Union if the parties are not d & # 39; agreement.

Great Britain believes that Britain remains in a temporary customs agreement with the EU.

To emphasize British views Parliament voted earlier this week that there should be no customs limit in Britain. In other words, no border in the sea of ​​Ireland.

Michel Barnier was a little more tender in tone of emergency help than it was on Friday

– It will be a safety net, not necessarily our guardrail. We proposed a solution, but we have never intended to create a border in the Irish Sea. But at the same time we need a solution that protects our borders and our consumers, he said.