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Ireland has proved elusive when the Commission has attempted to pin down the government on its plan, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A Commission spokesman told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that a no-deal exit would mean a return of a hard border.
If the U.K. tumbles out of the bloc in March without a deal, then the question that has dogged Brexit talks -- how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland -- becomes an acute crisis. The Commission intervention could focus minds in Dublin on the potential consequences of sticking by the backstop, a policy which could catapult the U.K. out of the bloc without a deal.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said last year his government would “never” build a border, though appears to have stepped back from that stance after it became clear that could mean a de facto frontier emerged between Ireland and the rest of the bloc. This possibility was raised in a government briefing with opposition leaders on Tuesday, broadcaster RTE said.
The EU has made clear that Ireland would be expected to police the border with the U.K. as it would become the bloc’s external frontier. On Wednesday, in an interview with RTE, Irish Agriculture Minister Michael Creed repeatedly ruled out the return of hard border “infrastructure” in all circumstances.
That raises the prospect of a light-touch system of checking goods, while maintaining a common travel area with the U.K. would mean people can continue to move freely across the border. [...]