Prime Minister Theresa May has reiterated the U.K. “will not accept any physical infrastructure at the border” between Northern Ireland and Ireland following Brexit.
Her remarks came following a meeting Monday with Ireland’s Taoiseach, or Prime Minister Leo Vladkar in London that coincided with the start of the fourth round of Brexit talks between the U.K. and the EU.
May said negotiators are working “on delivering a practical solution that allows for the most seamless possible movement of goods between the U.K. and EU.”
About efforts on the formation of a devolved government in Northern Ireland, the British prime minister said the issue was discussed with the visiting Irish leader.
Both leaders discussed “the importance of devolved government being restored to Northern Ireland as soon as possible and the U.K. government’s steadfast commitment to the Belfast Agreement and its successors,” a government statement said.
They recognized “the progress made by the parties in Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister welcomed the efforts and support of the Irish government on achieving a successful outcome”.
“There was also a shared acknowledgement of the outstanding issues that remained for the parties and the need for their continued work towards an agreement to ensure Northern Ireland has the political stability it needs.”
May “made clear how the U.K. will be the strongest friend and partner to the EU after we leave the EU and how maintaining the reciprocal arrangements for the Common Travel Area and the citizenship rights guaranteed by the Belfast Agreement were at heart of our approach.”
Meanwhile in Brussels, the new round of Brexit negotiations that will continue during the week resumed between chief negotiators David Davis and Michel Barnier.
Davis in his opening remarks said on the citizens’ rights issue that the U.K. “will incorporate the agreement fully into U.K. law and take steps to ensure consistent interpretation.
“We hope to make progress on issues like the onward movement of U.K. citizens in the EU, and voting rights in local elections,” he said. “We both want to avoid changes to the way citizens enjoy their rights and our proposals will deliver that.”
Davis also underlined progress being made on the border issue between Northern Ireland and Ireland “with a common desire to maintain the Common Travel Area and protect the Good Friday Agreement.”
He also said “the U.K. will honor commitments we have made during the period of our membership”.
But Barnier suggested little had changed in the discussions and said Brussels insists on “sufficient progress” on citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the Irish border before it will discuss future trade.
“A discussion that is going to take place because the UK is asking for it on this transitional period does not mean we will no longer need to achieve sufficient progress,” Barnier said, referring to May's Florence speech, in which she requested a two-year transition period after Brexit.
Barnier underlined that "the EU has to decide whether to have a transitional period and whether it is in its interest."
"Any transition has to respect the regulatory and financial framework of the single market,” he said.
“As we said, we are talking about prolonging and extending EU legislation for a certain amount of time. That would mean we would have to continue with [such] things as the budget, supervision, judicial control and controls of EU rules and regulations. So that would have to continue to apply.”
“We are not going to mix up discussions on debts and discussion on the past commitments. We are not going to mix up those subjects, which are part of an orderly withdrawal, on a discussion of our future relationship,” Barnier said.
“If the UK is asking for a transition period, it is the UK asking for it, we are not asking for it ... Perhaps I can just remind you that these rules that go hand in hand with the single market are well known to the UK, as they helped us build these rules over the last decades,” he said.
The border between Northern Ireland and Ireland does not physically exist under the current regulations but residents from both sides worry about new border restrictions after Brexit.
The Irish border issue has been one of the key discussion points since the Brexit talks started between the sides, together with the border and future arrangements between Spain and Gibraltar -- a British Overseas Territory.
Talks between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein are still underway following the elections held in March after the collapse of the devolved government over a botched energy scheme earlier.
Britain is set to leave the European Union in March 2019 after last year’s referendum to end its 44-year-long membership to the bloc.
