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Guy Verhofstadt’s proposal for special status for the region was met with immediate opposition from unionists who said they would never accept any deal that made Northern Ireland different from the rest of the UK.
On a two-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, Verhofstadt stressed it was up to the UK to come up with a solution in order to prevent a tariff- and customs-based militarised “hard border” on the island.
The Belgian EU parliamentarian said it was Britain’s fault that the Irish border had become an issue once more. “The resurrection of the border problem is the consequence of the decision of Britain to leave the union,” he said.
He said enabling the region to retain access even if the rest of the UK leaves the customs union and single market might be a way to avoid a hardening of the border.
Verhofstadt also repeated an earlier idea that voters in Northern Ireland could still exercise some influence on European affairs after Brexit if they were allowed to elect MEPs in the Irish Republic.
Despite opposition from unionists and scepticism from within the EU parliament, Verhofstadt defended the idea, stating it was a “fair question” as to how people in Northern Ireland could continue to participate in European democracy.
“With every proposal there is scepticism, that’s normal in politics, but we are debating it,” he said.
He was due to travel to the border later on Wednesday to meet groups opposed to any customs checks, tariffs or security barriers on the 300-mile frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
But his remarks, made while meeting Northern Ireland’s political parties at Stormont, prompted a row with unionist politicians.
The Democratic Unionist party MEP Diane Dodds rejected the idea of a special arrangement allowing the region to stay in the customs union or single market.
While stressing that the DUP wanted a “seamless border”, Dodds said: “We will not countenance a solution that makes us different from other parts of the United Kingdom.’’ [...]