20 September 2019

Financial Times: UK Brexit plans fail all basic backstop tests, warns EU

The EU has warned that the British government’s Brexit proposals fail to meet all of its basic tests for avoiding a hard border in Ireland and protecting the island’s economy, heightening the risk of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal on October 31.

Speaking after negotiations on Friday, EU officials criticised British proposals to shelve some discussions over the Irish border until after the UK’s departure. They also warned that UK plans now entailed “a regulatory and customs border on the island of Ireland”, complicating efforts to keep trade flowing after Brexit.

Despite a difficult week for Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister has been talking up the chances of securing a deal with Brussels after submitting informal discussion papers — known as “non-papers” — outlining plans to replace the contentious Irish backstop — the insurance policy to avoid a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.

However on Friday the European Commission said the three “non-papers” did not provide the “legally operational solutions” that Brussels was seeking.

“We are far from anything that could work,” said one diplomat present at a debriefing session with the commission. The debrief came after more than one hour of talks on Friday between EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and UK Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay.

The commission told diplomats that current UK proposals “fall short of satisfying all the objectives” the backstop was designed to achieve, according to a diplomatic note seen by the FT.

The commission told EU27 diplomats that the British proposals amounted to the UK getting huge carve-outs from EU single market rules by allowing for customs checks away from the border and on the site of companies. The UK also wants new simplified electronic trusted trader schemes to operate across the Northern Irish border.

“These ideas are not compatible with the EU custom codes” said the commission. [...]

Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)

Statement by the European Commission following today's meeting between Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, and Steve Barclay, the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU.

© Financial Times