The European Union has said it is ready to address key British concerns over Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Theresa May wrote in a German newspaper that both sides were close to an orderly Brexit deal.
Image: picture alliance/empics/S. Rousseau
Advertisement
The EU is "ready to improve" its proposal on how to manage the border between the Republic of Ireland, an EU member, and Northern Ireland. The bloc's chief negotiator's comments on Tuesday came ahead of an informal two-day summit in Austria that will focus on Brexit and migration.
With just over six months to go before the UK is due to leave the European Union, the EU and Britain remain at loggerheads over the Irish border and the nature of a future relationship, especially over trade.
Both sides want to avoid a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which will leave the EU under Brexit.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU was ready to improve its offer on an "insurance policy" backstop arrangement in the absence of a deal on the Irish border before Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019.
"Our proposal for the backstop on Ireland and Northern Ireland has been on the table since February," said Barnier. "We are ready to improve this proposal."
The EU negotiator said he was "clarifying which goods arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK would need to be checked and where, when and by whom these checks could be performed. We can also clarify that most checks can take place away from the border, at the company premises or in the market."
EU negotiator says Brexit deal 'possible'
01:30
This browser does not support the video element.
May: Deal is close
British Prime Minister Theresa May had rejected a previous plan, arguing it would sever Northern Ireland from Britain.
"Neither side can demand the unacceptable of the other, such as an external customs border between different parts of the United Kingdom — which no other country would accept if they were in the same situation," May wrote in the Wednesday edition of Die Welt newspaper.
May called for "goodwill and determination" from both sides to avoid a hard Brexit, which could unleash economic troubles in the EU and UK.
"We are near to achieving the orderly withdrawal that is an essential basis for building a close future partnership," May wrote. "To come to a successful conclusion, just as the UK has evolved its position, the EU will need to do the same."
May also wrote that there should be "frictionless movement of goods" between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Britain is leaving the European Union, but who exactly is directing the drama? DW takes a look at the people involved in the messy divorce.
Image: picture-alliance
Britain's embattled skipper: Theresa May
May became prime minister after David Cameron resigned from the post in the wake of the Brexit referendum vote in June 2016. Despite her position, she has struggled to define what kind of Brexit her government wants. Hardliners within her Conservative party want her to push for a clean break. Others want Britain to stay close to the bloc. The EU itself has rejected many of May's Brexit demands.
The leader of the British Labour Party has no formal role in the Brexit talks, but he is influential as the head of the main opposition party. Labour has tried to pressure the Conservative government, which has a thin majority in Parliament, to seek a "softer" Brexit. But Corbyn's own advocacy has been lukewarm. The long-time leftist voted for the UK to leave the European Community (EC) in 1975.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/A. Chown
Britain's boisterous Brexiteer: Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson's turbulent two years as UK foreign secretary came to an abrupt end with his resignation on July 9. The conservative had been a key face for the Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum campaign. Johnson disapproves of the "soft Brexit" sought by PM May, arguing that a complete break from the EU might be preferable. He became the second Cabinet member within 24 hours to quit...
Image: picture alliance/AP Images/M. Turner
Britain's cheery ex-delegate: David Davis
David Davis headed Britain's Department for Exiting the EU and was the country's chief negotiator in the talks before he quit on July 8, less than 24 hours before Downing Street announced Boris Johnson's departure. Davis had long opposed Britain's EU membership and was picked for the role for this reason. Davis was involved in several negotiating rounds with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V: Mayo
Britain's former Brexit secretary: Dominic Raab
Raab replaced Davis in early July 2018. But he only lasted four months, resigning a day after Theresa May presented a draft withdrawal plan to her cabinet. Raab previously worked for a Palestinian negotiator in the Oslo peace process and as an international lawyer in Brussels advising on European Union and World Trade Organization law.
Jeremy Hunt was Britain's Health Secretary until he replaced Boris Johnson as foreign secretary in early July 2018. The 51-year-old supported Britain remaining in the European Union during the 2016 referendum, but said in late 2017 that he had changed his mind in response to the "the arrogance of the EU Commission" during Brexit talks. He has vowed to help get Britain a "great Brexit deal."
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Britain's firebrand: Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage was the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) until July 2016. Under his stewardship, the party helped pressure former Prime Minister David Cameron into calling the EU referendum. He was also a prominent activist in the Leave campaign in the lead-up to the vote. Farage still has some influence over Brexit talks due to his popularity with pro-Leave voters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Florin
Brexit's banker: Arron Banks
Businessman Arron Banks is a friend of Nigel Farage, and donated a significant sum to the former UKIP leader's Leave.EU campaign – making him the group's biggest financial backer. He had several meetings with Russian officials ahead of the referendum, but has denied allegations of collusion with Moscow in the Brexit vote, branding the claims a "political witch hunt."
Image: Getty Images/J. Taylor
Europe's honchos: Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk
EU Commission President Juncker (left) and EU Council President Tusk (right) share two of the bloc's highest posts. Juncker heads the EU's executive. Tusk represents the governments of the 27 EU countries — the "EU 27." Both help formulate the EU's position in Brexit negotiations. What Tusk says is particularly noteworthy: His EU 27 masters — not the EU commission — must agree to any Brexit deal.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Vanden
Europe's steely diplomat: Michel Barnier
The former French foreign minister and European commissioner has become a household name across the EU since his appointment as the bloc's chief Brexit negotiator in October 2016. Despite his prominence, Barnier has limited room to maneuver. He is tasked with following the EU 27's strict guidelines and must regularly report back to them during the negotiations.
Image: Reuters/Y. Herman
Ireland's uneasy watchman: Leo Varadkar
The Irish PM has been one of the most important EU 27 leaders in Brexit talks. Britain has said it will leave the EU's customs union and single market. That could force the Republic of Ireland, an EU member, to put up customs checks along the border with Northern Ireland, a British province. But Varadkar's government has repeatedly said the return of a "hard" border is unacceptable.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/B. Lawless/PA Wire
Europe's power-brokers: the EU 27
The leaders of the EU 27 governments have primarily set the EU's negotiating position. They have agreed to the negotiating guidelines for chief negotiator Barnier and have helped craft the common EU position for Tusk and Juncker to stick to. The individual EU 27 governments can also influence the shape of any Brexit outcome because they must unanimously agree to a final deal.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Macdougal
12 images1 | 12
'Limiting Brexit damage in our shared interest'
The EU has argued Britain can't pick and choose parts of the single market and piggyback on Northern Ireland's special status.
"Limiting the damage caused by Brexit is in our shared interest. Unfortunately, a no-deal scenario is still quite possible," European Council President Donald Tusk said Tuesday. "But if we all act responsibly, we can avoid a catastrophe."
Both sides are hoping to reach a final Brexit deal by November in order to provide enough time for it to be passed by parliaments in both the UK and the EU.
Other issues that still need to be hammered out include the future trade relationship and a joint political declaration for the future relationship between Britain and the EU.
