EU Commissioner Barnier says Brexit deal will be available next week and calls for Irish checks

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said on Wednesday that an agreement with Britain was "at hand", calling for decisive breakthroughs in the talks. negotiations in time for a summit of 28 European leaders next week.

The Brexit negotiators on both sides have been engaged in intense discussions this week, trying to overcome the differences over the biggest hurdle to reaching an agreement: how to keep the Ireland-UK border open after the departure of Britain from the European Union in March.

"An agreement is at hand for October 17, next Wednesday," said Barnier in a speech to small business leaders.

According to Mr Barnier, the Brexit would entail checks on customs, VAT and compliance with EU standards between Ireland and Northern Ireland. He stated that customs declarations could be completed in advance online and that "the only systematic checks visible between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom would involve the scanning of barcodes on trucks or containers, which should be done on ferries or in transit ports ".

For industrial products, he said that this could be done by the "market surveillance authorities" in the premises of the company. But he added that controls on animals and animal products should always take place at the border and cover all of this trade.

"Our challenge is to ensure that these procedures are as simple as possible and without any burden, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises," he said in his speech to the European Parliament, which said he is ended by a standing ovation.

Barnier realized that such controls – vehemently opposed by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, which supports the government of British Prime Minister Theresa May – were politically difficult, but that it was consequence of the British vote for the departure of the EU.

Intense discussions

The 27 EU countries will receive an update of negotiations at a meeting of national ambassadors, excluding Great Britain, on Friday night. The parties will continue negotiations throughout the weekend in the hope of a breakthrough as early as Monday.

The 27 European leaders meeting next Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels want to announce decisive progress in the Brexit agreement and agree to hold another summit in November. This would consist of finalizing the work on a declaration of close future relations with Great Britain, which would also be part of the Brexit package.

"Barnier and his team are working day and night to reach an agreement, but we are not there yet," said EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos at a separate press conference.

How to avoid extensive checks at the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland – the only land border of Britain – after Brexit is the last hurdle to overcome, almost everything else of the agreed withdrawal agreement before the departure of England next March.

Both the EU and Britain have announced progress in recent days, reinforcing the sentiment of the markets, which fear the most damaging Brexit.

"There is less risk of lack of agreement now than obviously for some time," said Danuta Hubner, a legislator of the European Parliament dealing with Brexit, at a meeting in New York. commission.

But the Commission also examined preparations Wednesday of the 27 states for a "no agreement" scenario, discussing the multiple disruptions that would ensue, including customs controls and duties immediately applicable to all imports and exports.

"We are working hard to bring the Brexit negotiations to a successful conclusion. But as we can not guarantee the result for now, we must prepare for all possible outcomes, "said a diplomat. "The EU27 must be ready from day one to deal coherently with issues such as citizens' rights, transport or customs."