.@MichelBarnier @IIEABrussels talking about meeting civil society groups from both sides of Irish border & meeting school children for perspective on #Brexit. School kid asked him if his job was hard. He said "Yes, beacause there are too many questions and too few answers".
"No European country can win these battles alone" - @MichelBarnier on geopolitical challenges. "We have to build a relationship that is built on more than trade". Mentions security & defence, foreign policy.
"In March we made some progress...we agreed with the Brits on a number of separation issues".
.@MichelBarnier says his team & UK Home Office are working closely to ensure that EU citizens in UK & UK citizens in EU have a smooth Brexit transition.
"The UK's decision to leave the EU has created major uncertainty" for business, data protection, governance, Scotch Whisky, Clare Island Salmon..."I look fwd to further answers from the UK...we do not have much time".
RE. Ireland and N. Ireland - "We need cast iron guarantee in final agreement"..."UK has committed to this"..."Full set of issues in backstop proposals must be addressed...now is the time to address it".
If we want to maintain status quo wrt goods crossing border we need to have common food safety & animal health. N. Irl wd need to maintain current regime to avoid border. - @MichelBarnier
Eur Counci has made an exception for N.Irl & has shown flexibilty, but this is tailor-made for the specific challenges on the island of Ireland.
Our approach is well understood in N.Ireland. It avoids hard border and respects integrity of Single Market. We have built the SM over 45 yrs with the UK. The UK played an important and positive role in relation to financial crisis.
UK has been an architect and guardian of the SM. SM possible because of common enforcement of external borders and common standards. Within this ecosystem financial co.s can provide services due to passporting & supervision. Outside this there cannot be a passport.
Outside the EU, there is no automatic right to work, study, reside in EU countries. Extradition is based on EU membership. Another mechanism wd be required to continue.
"The strength of SM is what makes us strong on global stage, the size of the SM allows us to leverage trade agreements, standards help us export".
"SM is our main economic public good...we will not unravel it...we will adapt our offer should the UK red lines change. We need realistic and workable solutions. We look fwd to White Paper".
"My ambition has always been to find an agreement with the UK, not against the UK."
"SM not a big supermarket...also provides protections to workers and consumers...allows professionals to offer services anywhere in EU...strong CAP...digital SM".
ENDS
