Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The UK is on the cusp of an agreement on Northern Ireland with the EU according to UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
The two sides are nearing an agreement, but it is not clear whether the latest proposal will satisfy EU-sceptic critics, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The EU and the UK have been negotiating a solution to the problems caused by Brexit for more than one year, with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stating that he was “giving it everything” to strike a deal.
Raab noted in an interview with the BBC “we’re on the cusp, we’ve made great progress, we’re not there yet.” Citing unnamed sources, the BBC later reported that the UK is to present details of the agreement today, but the government did not confirm the report.
Even if the UK manages to reach an agreement with the EU, it would be only the start as Northern Ireland has set the bar high for the type of deal it would accept.
As part of the Brexit deal, the UK signed the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU to avoid checks along the border with Ireland. However, the protocol created a selective border for some goods from the UK, which have to undergo checks.
Fragile situation
The protocol also disrupted the political balance in NI and prevented the formation of a government as set out in the 1998 peace deal that largely ended 30 years of violence in the country.
Sunak pointed out on Sunday that the recent shooting of a police officer in NI showed that the situation in the country was fragile.
According to Raab, the agreement would ease trade tensions by cutting checks that the EU demanded under the initial deal. He added that the agreement would address concerns that the EU can dictate rules for NI that the country’s voters or politicians cannot influence.
“If there any new rules that would apply in relation to Northern Ireland, it must be right that there’s a Northern Irish democratic check on that,” Raab stressed. Commenting on the democratic process in the UK, Raab noted that British MPs would be allowed to express their opinions on the deal, but did not say whether they would get to vote on it.
