MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
EU pledges to keep Ireland and Ulster border “as open as possible”
PM Kenny met European Commission President Juncker and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, where he stressed Dublin’s concerns about the border 
“We don’t want to have hard borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic,” Mr Juncker told reporters. 
He said Mr Barnier would try to avoid damaging the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, adding: “We want land borders being as open as possible.” The EU’s negotiators will work to keep the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland “as open as possible” after Brexit, the President of the bloc, Jean-Claude Juncker, said after meeting Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
Mr Kenny met European Commission President Juncker and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, where he stressed Dublin’s concerns about the border, which will become the EU’s land frontier with Britain.
Ireland’s concerns centre on the need to avoid risking a return to sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.
“We don’t want to have hard borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic,” Mr Juncker told reporters.
He said Mr Barnier would try to avoid damaging the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, adding: “We want land borders being as open as possible.”
Mr Kenny noted that until British Prime Minister Theresa May launches the Brexit process by detailing Britain’s demands, something she aims to do next month, Ireland and its EU allies could not know where border negotiations would start.
He said he believed the solution would be “political” not “technological”.
Mr Kenny reiterated Dublin’s call for the Brexit treaty between the EU and Britain to spell out that Northern Ireland would join the European Union again immediately if it chooses in a referendum to unite with Ireland under the provisions of the 1998 peace agreement.
That, he said, would follow the example of the EU’s absorption of East Germany on reunification in 1990.
“The language of what’s contained in the Good Friday Agreement will also be contained in the negotiation outcome,” Mr Kenny said.
“We want that language inserted into the negotiated treaty or negotiated outcome, whenever that might occur.”
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsJust give S.America back to it's original population and all you Latinos/Hispanics can go back to YOUR country of origin. Seems fair to me.
Feb 27th, 2017 - 11:30 am +3The polling data (LucidTalk) is clear - the proportion of people in NI who want a United Ireland now is in single figures. If you add in those who want it in 30-years it rises to 30%. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement the UK Secretary of State must call a referendum if there is a realistic possibility of unification being desired. Since there isn't then no referendum is can be called. If Brexit is a disaster and Ireland soars then who knows - maybe those numbers will shift. However, if Brexit works out OK and the Eurozone struggles then the numbers will not change. There is already a Catholic majority among the young and yet this has not shifted the Unification numbers. But bear in mind that those born on the island of Ireland have a right to an Irish (and therefore EU) passport so there will still be freedom of movement in the EU for N.Irish young people regardless.
Feb 27th, 2017 - 03:11 pm +3Seems everybody else is making the rules to suit them , except the people who voted for it.
Feb 26th, 2017 - 07:52 pm +2just a thought.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!