Ireland’s Europe minister Helen McEntee is optimistic that a withdrawal treaty will be agreed in time for Brexit day, but says the UK will first have to agree a solution for the Irish border.
Speaking to EUROPE in her office in Dublin’s city centre at the end of March, she said it is “positive” that talks are finally moving on to the future relationship.
“While there have been delays in certain areas, while deadlines have had to be moved, I do think we have made more progress than maybe people thought we would,” she said.
She said the priority for Ireland is to ensure that “95pc of the work” on a so-called backstop solution for the border should be done by June, in time for the EU and UK parliaments to start examining it by October.
“October is not when it needs to start; it’s when it all needs to be signed, sealed and delivered.”
The EU’s proposed text on the backstop, contained in a protocol to the withdrawal agreement, would see Northern Ireland essentially remain in the bloc’s customs union and parts of the single market, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Talks on the protocol began just before Easter, focusing on customs and sanitary checks. Talks continued on Friday, focusing on human rights, and will resume on Monday, though little progress has been made so far.
The UK has said it cannot accept the EU’s draft language, which would keep Northern Ireland in the bloc’s “customs territory” and part of a “single regulatory area” for goods, agriculture, environment and several other policies.
But Ms McEntee said the EU is fully behind Ireland, and that it is up to the UK to propose alternative language that would deliver “the same outcome”.
“If it comes to October and we don’t have an outcome it will be the EU saying, ‘We’re not happy with this.’”
“If [the UK] were to propose something that ensured things stayed as they are then it’s not for us to say no,” she said. “But the possibility of that happening between now and October is probably quite slim, so for us the backstop will have to apply.”
Between now and then, talks will also move on to trade, which is hugely important for Ireland. Not only do 15pc of Irish goods and services exports go to the UK (rising to 40pc for the agri-food sector) but two-thirds of Irish exporters use the UK as a “land bridge” to access EU markets.
While Ms McEntee said Ireland will “make sure that our voice is heard” on the trade links, she said “Ireland can’t be seen as different” to the rest of the EU.
“We do have to realise there are 26 other countries as well,” she said. “What’s good for Ireland should be good for the rest of Europe, and vice versa.”
She said there was only a “short space of time” to get the trade deal done, and that the EU needs “to see what the UK wants in order for that to happen”.
This week the UK parliament’s committee for the exiting the EU set out 15 “tests” for the success of the final withdrawal agreement, with an open border in Northern Ireland at number one.
The list also requires no tariffs or customs checks, continued UK involvement with Europol, EU security databases and the bloc’s medicines, aviation and chemicals agencies; and participation in EU research, education and space projects; and market access for UK banks.
Labelled by critics as too Remain-friendly, the report seeks to “maintain convergence with EU regulations” and ensure the free movement of workers providing cross-border services. And should negotiations on the future relationship not prove successful, Labour MP and committee chair Hilary Benn said the UK should reconsider remaining in the European Economic Area.
Ms McEntee said the EU has left open the possibility for the UK to soften its red lines, which she said Ireland would “welcome” as it would solve the border problem.
“The guidelines talk about a free trade arrangement, leaving open space for minds to be changed. If that means the customs union and single market coming back, that option is there as well,” she explained.
But she was sceptical about a second UK referendum being able to turn the tide on Brexit.
“I don’t know if having another one would actually change people’s minds now,” she said. “In a year’s time it might be different; we’ve seen minds change the more we’ve gone into things in detail.” (Sarah Collins)