Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis came to an agreement to set up a temporary ‘backstop’ plan. The document they released summarised the issues, objectives and overview of the potential options which they will have with regards to trade agreements.
The UK is expected to leave the EU by March 2019, meaning that they would need to work on their options on how to avoid a had Irish border. Brexit coordrinator Guy Verhostadt claimed that it would be complicated to determine how it would all play out.
“A backstop that is temporary is not a backstop, unless the definitive arrangement is the same as the backstop,” he stated.
A statement from the document stated that
“In determining the future customs relationship with the EU, the UK has been clear on the need to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its parts, including that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls… including the need to ensure that any solution protects Ireland’s place within the EU Internal Market and Customs Union, and preserves the integrity of the UK’s internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it.”
This document however, is merely a temporary one which the EU still needs to agree with in order for it to progress.
To view the full document, visit https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714656/Technical_note_temporary_customs_arrangement.pdf
