Politics
08:09, 05-Aug-2017
Ireland calls for special solution for Brexit
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Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar on Friday called for the EU and the UK to find "unique solutions" to their Brexit stalemate, including a bespoke customs union.
That would solve the problem of a hard border in Ireland once Britain leaves the EU, something that is of great concern to Dublin.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May has said Britain will leave the EU's customs union when it leaves the bloc in order to pursue its own trade agreements with countries around the world.
A bilateral customs union would appear to imply that both sides would be free to strike deals with third parties, though Varadkar did not provide detail of the proposal.
Ireland hoped a compromise could be reached ahead of a key Brexit summit in October, which Varadkar described as a historic meeting.
He also suggested that Brussels may accede to the UK's insistence that a post-Brexit body other than the European Court of Justice may oversee bilateral issues, such as citizens rights and aviation regulation.
Varadkar said, however all these "practical solutions" would need to be asked for and would not be offered.
Ireland is the only country that shares a land frontier with the UK, and is especially concerned about the implications of a hard border between the two countries.
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