Contingency plans for no-deal Brexit ‘not a pretty picture’
The Tánaiste has warned that contingency plans being developed for a hard Brexit are “not a pretty picture” and would pose significant problems for Ireland.
While Simon Coveney said he does not believe physical barriers would be erected along the border, he said a no-deal Brexit would create pressures in a lot of areas including around the Northern Ireland issue.
As EU leaders prepared to meet in Brussels yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he would be willing to hear any proposals that might help to bring about a solution.
However, Mr Varadkar cautioned “time is now running out” on achieving a deal.
It has now been suggested the two-year transition period following Britain’s exit from the EU next March could be extended by up to a year in a bid to break the impasse in Brexit talks.
Speaking in Brussels, the Taoiseach said: “Any extension to the transition period couldn’t be a substitute for the backstop, we would still need to have that.”
He added that an extra EU Council summit should only take place in November if there is a purpose for having it.
“I don’t think we should call a summit just to talk,” he said.
“We should be having a summit in November either to sign off on a deal or to build up preparations for a no-deal scenario if that is necessary,” said Mr Varadkar.
Earlier in the day, Mr Coveney said there were small but “significant” issues left on the table.
“I think both sides are trying to introduce new thinking and imagination to close those gaps and, of course, that’s what we all support at this stage because the prospect of no deal on a managed, controlled Brexit really is very, very concerning and would be very negative for the UK and for Ireland, so everybody wants this deal to be done,” Mr Coveney told the BBC.
Asked if walls could be built along the Irish border if Britain does crash out of the EU, he said: “I don’t believe that is going to happen but if there is no deal there are a lot of pressures in a lot of areas.
Northern Ireland will be one of them but there are other areas also.
“I think, next week, you will probably see papers being produced from the EU side on contingency planning for a no-deal scenario; it’s not a pretty picture and I think people need to be mature enough to recognise that.”
He hit out at the “macho talk” and “generalities” being put forward that countries would be able to “survive” a no-deal by “pushing through”.
“The truth is a no-deal Brexit creates significant problems across multiple areas — economics, political, and security — so we have an obligation, Britain and Ireland in particular but also the EU and the UK, to find a way here that we can settle on a deal that manages a sensible Brexit,” said Mr Coveney.
