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Breaking: European Commission says the "differential treatment" of trade on the island of Ireland, in which the UK imposes tariffs on goods coming from Ireland to GB, but not goods going north across the Irish border "raises concerns."
Commission was asked if it would reciprocate the UK plan no to apply tariffs on goods crossing the Irish border in a no deal scenario.
Commission Spokesman: "We take note of the UK's plans for temporary tariffs in the case of no deal. We will carefully analyse the compliance of the UK plan with WTO law and the EU's rights thereunder.
"The differential treatment of trade on the island of Ireland, and other trade between the EU and the UK, raises concerns. In the event of no deal the EU has already made clear that it will apply its normal third country trade regime to all trade with the UK...
"...and accordingly charge Most Favoured Nation tariffs on imports from the UK into the EU. This is esential for the EU to remain a reliable trading partner to the rest of the world, including upholding internationally agreed rules on global trade."
"We remain determined to avoid a hard border. The EU will ensure the integrity of the Single Market and Customs Union under all scenarios. We are convinced that since no other solutions have been identified the backstop is currently the only available option...
...to address the challenges of the land border [in Ireland]."
