Brexit: Ireland and Northern Ireland worried about threats from London

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney January 20, 2020. John Thys / AFP

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3 min

It's the return of Brexit and the Irish border puzzle.

Sunday, September 6, the Financial Times daily published an article indicating that London could seek to circumvent the Northern Irish protocol, wrested from a hard fight last year and which keeps the British province of Northern Ireland in the common market.

Irish politicians, both north and south of the island, have jumped.

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With our correspondent in Dublin,

Emeline Vin

" 

Unacceptable

 ", " 

not smart

 ", " 

bluff

 ".

There is a consensus on the Northern Irish political scene: do not touch the withdrawal agreement that led to Brexit last January.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was the first to react.

“ 

I hope this is all wrong.

 ", did he declare.

The Deputy Prime Minister and former Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, was insensitive to the

threat of a "no deal"

 : for him, it is a noise of boots intended to impress the adversary, in this case. European negotiators who are currently trying to strike a free trade agreement.

In the North, a pro-Remain province, all the pro-EU parties have warned London: the agreement is an international treaty that must be respected.

The fear of the return of an inter-Irish border

Why so many worries?

The agreement will allow goods to move freely between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and thus prevent the return of a physical border to the island, which brings back bad memories of the Civil War, which ended there At 25 years.

Failure to implement the protocol could hamper trade between the two parts of the island, which are economically interdependent.

Downing Street, for its part, ensures that the text only concerns state aid.

The draft law on domestic markets will be published on Tuesday, September 8.

► See also: Brexit: Boris Johnson ready for a "no deal", lack of an agreement by October 15

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  • Brexit

  • United Kingdom

  • Ireland

  • North Ireland

  • European Union

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