Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The EU's 27 Ministers agreed on Monday the negotiating directives for the Brexit negotiations, which are now expected to begin in the week of 19 June. The directives agreed that the priorities in the first phase of negotiations would be: the status of the EU’s citizens in the UK and the 1.2 million Britons on the continent; the so-called Brexit bill for the UK; and the issue of a hard Border on this island.

We already know from David Davis's comments last week that Britain does not accept the priorities as set out by the EU. Of particular concern is the section which, again,

references the desire "to avoid a hard border" on this island, "while respecting EU law." Despite assurances by the Taoiseach in this Chamber that there would be no customs posts, this is the economic reality we now face as EU law will require it. It was confirmed last week by representatives of Revenue at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. Revenue told the committee that more than 2 million HGV journeys take place between the North and South each year and that at least 8% of these journeys will need to be checked, including some by physical inspection. This means that at least 160,000 HGV vehicles will be subject to customs checks. The Revenue representative also stated there would be roaming border patrols to police and monitor those checks. That is a hard Border. The impact on the two economies on this island will be enormous. Currently, island-wide trade generates more than €3 billion annually. Thousands of jobs depend on this trade. This is one reason why Sinn Féin argued for the North to be designated a special status within the EU. At the same meeting of the joint committee on Finance, Seanadóir Rose Conway-Walsh asked John Callinan, from the Department of the Taoiseach, if the Government has ever raised the issue of designated special status with the EU. The answer was "No".

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