EU May Provide Additional Backstop Assurances if UK Takes Action on Customs Union: EU Lawmaker By Reuters

By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is willing to provide Britain with additional assurances regarding the Irish border ‘backstop’ in a political declaration about future relations post-Brexit, but only if London considers accepting a permanent customs union, as stated by a prominent EU lawmaker involved in Brexit discussions.

Danuta Hubner made her remarks as British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to Brussels to seek a renegotiation of the withdrawal treaty she agreed upon with the EU, which has yet to be ratified in the UK.

May aims to replace the temporary Irish border solution with unspecified "alternative arrangements" to prevent a return of extensive border checks on the island of Ireland. However, the EU has deemed this proposal too vague and inadequate.

Hubner noted, "’Alternative arrangements’…relates to the future. What can be added or changed in the political declaration is to ensure some new arrangements that would solve the issue of a hard border."

She emphasized the importance of discussions with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, stating that bipartisan dialogue must lead to new elements for the future. "The only thing we have not yet tried is a shift of the UK’s red lines," she remarked in reference to May’s conversations with Corbyn.

Corbyn has been advocating for Britain to enter into a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit, a position that May has resisted, arguing it would limit Britain’s ability to negotiate independent trade agreements globally.

Hubner warned, "If there is no openness on the UK side to include those assurances in the political declaration on future UK-EU relations, the process could lead us to a no-deal situation."

The political declaration is a non-legally binding document that accompanies the legally binding withdrawal agreement negotiated by the EU and May’s government. Recently, the British parliament overwhelmingly rejected that deal, prompting May to seek to reopen negotiations.

Hubner made it clear that the EU would not compromise on the refusal to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement or to abandon the backstop. "A step further would risk undermining the single market. If the single market loses its integrity, it would be the end of the EU," she cautioned. "It’s not just about Ireland."

She concluded by stating that the risk of a no-deal Brexit has increased.