Ireland under pressure to find border solution
Dublin has to choose between difficult options in case of a no-deal Brexit
Brussels — The EU will give Ireland some leeway to establish new border arrangements with Northern Ireland in case of a no-deal Brexit, sources in the bloc’s political hub Brussels say. But they say Dublin will soon have to come up with a plan to ensure the integrity of the EU’s single market or face checks on its own goods coming into the rest of the bloc. “Ireland can get transition periods or some temporary opt-outs on the border in the worst-case scenario,” a senior EU diplomat said. “But soon enough it will have to face up to the fact that either there is a border on the island or a border between Ireland and the rest of the EU,” the diplomat said. EU diplomats and officials dealing with Brexit admit it is impossible to set up full border controls overnight as should theoretically be the case if the UK leaves the bloc without a divorce settlement on March 29. The issue of a “hard border” on the island of Ireland has hung over Brexit negotiations from the start and is threatenin...
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