Irish foreign min @simoncoveney says it was "clear" during the Brexit negotiations there wd have to be checks on goods from GB-NI. The EU wd attempt to limit those checks through the Joint Committee, he said, and checks on goods going NI-GB could be limited to export declarations
2/ “It was very clear when the deal was done.”
3/ “The EU has made it clear they want to minimise the impact on goods coming from GB-NI but at the same time goods coming from GB-NI will need to have some checks to ensure that the EU knows what is potentially coming into their market through Northern Ireland,”
4/ “And, you know, we spent many, many hours of discussion in terms of trying to get that right.”
5/ “Goods going the other way from Northern Ireland into Great Britain will have far less requirement for checks at all, in fact it will probably be limited to an export declaration, because of course that is a matter internally for the UK."
6/ “So, there was always a distinction between goods coming from GB into Northern Ireland versus goods going from Northern Ireland into GB and we spent many hours discussing and negotiating that, and I think explaining it too.
7/ "The EU has always said it will work with the UK to try to minimise the impact on trade between Northern Ireland and GB. That effectively means unfettered access of goods originating in NI going into GB, as well as unfettered access for goods in NI entering the EU Single Mkt
8/ “So Northern Ireland is effectively getting the best of both worlds here, which is why I think it's a very good deal for Northern Ireland.
9/ “But there are certain consequences in terms of the need for checks on goods travelling from GB into Northern Ireland because of the commitment, of course, to have an absence of any physical checks or infrastructure between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
