On Tuesday 18 September, Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, reiterated his invitation to de-dramatise the question of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Speaking after the General Affairs Council (meeting in “Article 50” format), Barnier also said that the European Commission was ready to improve on its February proposal regarding the “backstop” (or safety net solution) intended to prevent the return of a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland (see EUROPE 11971).
“We are clarifying which goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK would need to be checked, where, when and by whom these checks would be performed”, said Barnier, adding that they can also clarify that most of the checks can be carried out far from the border by businesses or on the market for example. However, the EU negotiator-in-chief said, checks are obviously needed because of the simple fact that the United Kingdom has decided to leave the Union.
“I continue to think that the moment of truth will be the October Council”, Barnier said, while a special summit is to be organised mid-November to finalise the agreement with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Barnier, moreover, said that talks had moved forward since the General Affairs Council in July but that an agreement had still to be reached on other matters such as the general governance of the agreement and protected geographical indications.
On Thursday, Barnier will attend the informal meeting of heads of state and/or government in Salzburg during which he will take stock of the situation with regards negotiations leading to Brexit, which is scheduled for the end of March 2019 (see EUROPE 12097). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)