20/07/2017

More Talks Needed On How Brexit Will Affect Good Friday Agreement

The European Union's chief negotiator has said more talks are needed on how Brexit will affect the Good Friday agreement.

Michel Barnier was speaking in Brussels at the end of the second week of negotiations.

Brexit Secretary David Davis also said the relationship between NI and the Irish Republic will require "flexible and imaginative solutions".

Mr Barnier said: "We agree that the important issue of the Good Friday Agreement between Ireland and the UK, in all its dimensions requires more detailed discussions.

"In particular, more work needs to be done to protect North-South cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"Today, that cooperation is embedded in the common framework of EU law and EU policies.

"We need to better understand how the UK intends ensuring the continuation of this cooperation after Brexit.

"We also agree that the UK should clarify in the next session how it intends maintaining the common travel area after leaving the EU."

(CD/MH)


Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

22 May 2019
PM Outlines New Brexit Deal
Prime Minister Theresa May has set out a new Brexit deal which would seek to conclude alternative arrangements for the Irish backstop by December 2020.
22 October 2018
Guidance For Agriculture Needed Ahead Of Brexit
NI farmers require guidance in the absence of a government and in advance of Brexit, a government committee report has said. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) examined the future of agriculture post Brexit, after being told in July that farmers need clarity.
17 January 2019
'Disastrous' Brexit Deadlock Blamed For Insurance 'Green Cards'
Political representatives in Northern Ireland have expressed outrage at the potential implications of a no-deal Brexit on cross-border travel, and laid the blame at the door of politicians in Westminster.
29 November 2018
Government 'Must Fund Extra Officers To Police Irish Border Post Brexit'
The UK Government must give police financial assurances that they will have the resources to patrol the Irish border in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) has said.
01 August 2018
NI Power-Sharing Talks 'Could Take Place In Autumn'
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said talks aimed at restoring power-sharing in Northern Ireland should take place in the autumn. Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January 2017 after Stormont collapsed due to a bitter fallout over the botched Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.