The Presidents of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, assured the Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, on Wednesday 6 February in Brussels of the support and solidarity of the Twenty-Six towards Ireland in negotiations with London on the United Kingdom's exit from the EU.
This solidarity "resonates deeply" in this small country of Ireland "but also in other small EU countries," Mr Varadkar stressed.
Mr Tusk Juncker reiterated the position of the Twenty-Seven that the UK withdrawal agreement is not renegotiable although it was rejected by the British Parliament in mid-January (see EUROPE 12172).
No new offer from the EU. The EU "does not make any new offers,” stressed Donald Tusk. The withdrawal agreement and the backstop to prevent the return of a physical border to the island of Ireland cannot be reopened, Mr Juncker also hammered home. He considered the reasons why this backstop is necessary to be "obvious", as the Irish border is becoming, with Brexit, an external border of the European Union.
As for the alternatives envisaged by Ms May, they can be discussed in the context of future relations between the EU and the United Kingdom but they "cannot replace backstop", added the President of the Commission.
The President of the European Council expressed his conviction that a "common solution" is still possible, assuring that he will do everything possible to find it.
But Mr Tusk attacked the Brexit supporters across the Channel. He wondered "what the place in hell looked like" reserved for those people who had never had any "plan" to promote a smooth Brexit, triggering some outraged reactions on the British side.
The Taoiseach also agreed with Mr Juncker that a scenario of British withdrawal without agreement could still be avoided. However, the Irishman said that that must be prepared for. And he also openly encouraged the United Kingdom to extend after 29 March the two-year negotiating deadline set out in Article 50 of the Treaty, an option he would support.
Mr Juncker indicated that the Commission was ready to support Irish and Northern Irish economic actors, such as farmers, who would be hard hit by a no-deal Brexit.
Realistic solutions expected. Donald Tusk also said he "hopes" that the British leader, Theresa May, whom he will meet on Thursday 7 February in Brussels, will be able to provide "realistic solutions to overcome the impasse". But the "sense of responsibility tells us to prepare for a possible fiasco", he commented.
The EU's top priority, he added, is the "guarantee of peacekeeping" in Northern Ireland on the basis of the Good Friday Agreement. There can be no speculation here", he added, cutting short rumours that the EU is preparing Ireland for the possibility of restoring border controls with Northern Ireland.
The Council approved the proposal to continue the PEACE IV programme until the end of 2020 (see EUROPE 12183).
Leo Varadkar also met on Wednesday with Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's coordinator for Brexit. He will have dinner Friday evening in Dublin with Theresa May. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)