On Thursday 7 September, the European Commission published four new negotiating documents on Brexit, notably on intellectual property and the protection of personal data, as well as on the guiding principles over the Irish issue, the final point on which the EU's negotiator, Michel Barnier, has reaffirmed his expectations and concerns.
Three days after his meeting with the Irish foreign minister, Simon Coveney, the French negotiator stated that the position of the British government on this matter was of concern. Last week, he said that progress had been made on this point in the third round of negotiations, but on Thursday rejected the possibility of using Ireland for leverage to discuss future relations between London and the EU.
Stressing that the EU can be flexible and creative in the solutions agreed upon, the EU's chief negotiator explained that the UK wants the EU to suspend the application of its laws, customs union and single market, which will mean a new external border, he said, refusing to allow the matter to become a test for future customs relations. This will not happen, he said, adding that creativity cannot come at the expense of the integrity of the EU and its customs union.
The negotiator explained again the main principles to steer negotiations on Ireland: full respect of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and of the Common Travel Area.
On the former, the Commission stresses that the gains and benefits of peace made under this agreement must be preserved and reinforced. The institutions, which provide frameworks for cooperation between the two parts of the island and between Ireland and Great Britain, must continue to operate effectively.
Reiterating the need to avoid a hard border between the two Irelands, which is a vital accomplishment of this agreement, the EU repeats that imaginative solutions will be necessary to avoid this hard, physical border. This must be done in a way that ensures Ireland keeps its place in the single market and that customs union is unaffected.
North-South cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is, moreover, a central element of the Good Friday Agreement, the document reiterates. As regards citizenship, the Good Friday Agreement recognises the right of all citizens of Northern Ireland to be accepted as Irish or British or both, as they choose. An Irish citizen residing in Northern Ireland should therefore continue to enjoy his or her rights as a citizen of the EU, the document further notes.
On the Common Travel Area, its continued functioning is vital to facilitate the interaction of people in Ireland and the UK, the document observes. This also implies respecting the peace process and the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, particularly those on citizenship. The continuity of the provisions of the Area with European law must also be recognised, the document stresses.
At the press conference, however, Barnier explained that there was no blockage on this Irish question, but that the financial issue was more serious. On this point, he reiterated his words of last week, when he said that he was concerned and disappointed that London seemed to have changed stance. We expect the UK to re-examine the legal analysis presented last week, which we found extremely negative, he said.
European Parliament puts together its October resolution
The conference of the presidents of the European Parliament met on Thursday morning and took note of the fact that the evaluation of the first phase of negotiations to note sufficient progress was unlikely to be concluded ahead of the European Council of October, a press release reports.
At its October session, Parliament is to adopt a resolution that will focus mainly on citizens' rights. The resolution will also present Parliament's priorities concerning Ireland and Northern Ireland and will assess the situation as regards the financial settlement. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)