The Brexit negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship have reached an impasse and there is a substantial risk of not reaching a deal at the end of the year. Regardless of a deal on the future relations, the legally binding Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland will have to be implemented to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and to preserve the integrity of the Single Market. At this Briefing EPC Chief Executive Fabian Zuleeg and Junior Policy Analyst Jannike Wachowiak discussed the implementation of the protocol with RTÉ Europe Editor Tony Connelly who provided an Irish perspective on the latest developments at EU and UK level.

 

All panellists emphasised the tight timeframe to implement the protocol. In the light of the Covid19 crisis, doubts remain as to whether the UK government has the bandwidth to implement the protocol in time. Fabian Zuleeg concluded that an extension is urgently needed, describing declarations on the UK side that it would not seek an extension as ”reckless’ . Tony Connelly warned of the damage a no deal Brexit would cause for Northern Ireland and reiterated that – even with good will from the UK side – a lot of work remains to be done.