Brexit; Irish PM says deal still possible

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin has warned EU leaders that a trade deal with the UK is still possible with only days to go before Brexit takes effect. There are busy negotiations on a trade deal before Britain leaves the European Union.

He said the EU should give more time to Michael Barnier, the mediator in the deal, despite the huge pressure on the trade deal.

“We are now at a very critical and sensitive point in the negotiations. I want to see a deal done and I believe a deal is possible,” Martin told a webinar event hosted in Dublin.

The webinar was organized by Fianna Fail MEP Barry Andrews. on Brexit and future relations between Ireland, Britain and the European Union.

Other countries, including France, the Netherlands and Denmark, have warned against giving the UK more priority in the post-Brexit deal. But Martin said he believes Barnier could make a mutually acceptable deal.

Some EU countries are also pushing for the talks to be expanded rather than speedy implementation of bad terms.

At the same time, the Prime Minister said that a deal instead of a no-deal is better for the European Union and the UK and that instead of securing the deal at any cost, he expects an agreement with mutual understanding and equal responsibility.

He told 27 EU leaders that he would have to go through the pressure when there was a discussion. Post-Brexit trade talks are progressing rapidly.

Michael Martin made it clear that we may not all be able to negotiate, so we need to wait patiently and trust the negotiating team to reach an equal agreement.

“My view is to hold the nerve. Negotiations are intensifying but we can’t have 27 negotiating, we can’t all be negotiators at the table. We have got to have faith and trust in the negotiating team to get a balanced deal over the line.”

It is clear that there is a happy ending to all major issues. An agreement without tariffs or quotas would make a huge difference to the sustainability of trade relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom, Martin said.

At the same time, the No Deal will adversely affect Ireland’s agro-food businesses, the West Coast, and the border counties in the North and South. In addition, Michael Martin expressed concern that small and medium businesses from Ireland and other European countries would be subjected to extensive customs inspections at the borders as part of the Brexit process.

Britain will officially leave the European Union in January. However, the procedures can take up to a year to complete. However, from January 1, the UK will stop using EU rules on the domestic market and the Customs Union.