Brexit Secretary resigns

The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier called the draft agreement a “decisive, crucial step” on Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking in Brussels, Belgium, after Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet came out in support of the draft agreement, Barnier said the negotiating parties have now found a solution to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. If the UK and EU don't reach a future agreement by the end of the transition period, they would implement a backstop solution — to create an EU-UK single customs territory.

“Northern Ireland will therefore remain in this same customs territory as the rest of the UK. In addition Northern Ireland would remain aligned to those rules of the single market that are essential for avoiding a hard border. This concerns agricultural goods as well as all products," Barnier said.

Though Barnier praised the draft agreement as a step forward, he warned that "the path is still long and may well be difficult to guarantee an orderly withdrawal... There is still work to be done."

Negotiations still needed to address issues such as the protection of intellectual property rights and of personal data exchanged before transition period, he said.

However, he emphasized that the UK would remain "our friend, our partner, and our ally."

"I have always said we are negotiating with the United Kingdom, not against the United Kingdom, and in respect of their sovereign choice to leave the European Union," he said.

Barnier declined to comment when asked what the EU would do if the British Parliament rejects the draft deal.

Let's block ads! (Why?)