One of the hardest problems to solve during Brexit negotiations has been the status of the UK controlled portion of the island of Ireland. Jason Douglas reports in the Wall Street Journal that negotiators may have found an answer. He writes:
Under the proposals unveiled on Thursday, the U.K. wouldn’t leave the customs union until permanent arrangements can be put in place, possibly involving new technologies, that avoid the emergence of a visible border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. while Ireland will remain in the EU.
The six-page technical note sketching the outlines of a temporary customs arrangement follows weeks of wrangling among factions of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government over the type of Brexit the U.K. should pursue.
It received a cautious welcome from Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy prime minister. Yet both officials said more clarity is needed to reach a final agreement, particularly around noncustoms aspects of the British-EU relationship, such as product regulation.
Read more here.
