Varadkar: All parties in Brexit negotiations 'want an agreement'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that all parties involved in Brexit “want an agreement” that is in the interests of Ireland, Britain and the European Union.

Varadkar: All parties in Brexit negotiations 'want an agreement'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that all parties involved in Brexit “want an agreement” that is in the interests of Ireland, Britain, and the European Union.

He said that until the last minute, “we will continue to search for a positive outcome on Brexit - for Ireland, for the EU and for the UK”.

He said his view was formed following his meeting with British Prime Minister Johnson last week.

But Mr Varadkar did say a number of issues must be resolved if Ireland is to be satisfied.

“We have a pathway to a possible deal but there are issues still to be fully resolved. First is the issue of consent and democracy, ensuring that any long-term arrangement that applies to Northern Ireland has the democratic assent of the people of Northern Ireland and second is the whole issue of customs, ensuring that there is no customs border between North and South and no tariffs on trade,” he told the Dáil.

“This is about securing an agreement that works for the people of Ireland and also the people of Britain and Europe. If it is to work for the people of Ireland, it means avoiding a hard border between North and South,” the Taoiseach added.

“That’s always been the Government’s primary objective, ensuring that the all-island economy can continue to develop and that North-South co-operation as envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement can resume, to protect the Single Market, its integrity and our place in it. Those are our objectives, and this has always been about achieving those objectives, and I am confident they can be achieved,” he added.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said that based on various independent reports and last week’s budget documents, the economic impact of this hard Brexit will be less severe in the coming months but will be nearly as damaging in the medium and long-term as the no-deal scenario.

Ireland will get another year to prepare for the new customs and regulatory barriers, but the worst-case scenario would then kick in, he said.

“So, it appears that the bulk of the Brexit reserve funding will be required to help those already badly affected by Brexit and those who need to more urgently diversify markets and products,” he added.

Mr Martin said the Johnson government’s priority today remains the winning of a general election.

After 3 months of talking up no-deal, the emphasis for the past week has been to get a deal that involves a hard Brexit for Britain with special status on customs for Northern Ireland, the Fianna Fáil leader added.

“What we need here is for full transparency from the government about the implications of the final proposal for Ireland and an understanding that the proposed hard Brexit involves an almost worst-case scenario,” he added.

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