EU’s Barnier says Brexit deal ‘within reach’ next week

BRUSSELS: European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Wednesday said an agreement with Britain was “within reach”, calling for decisive progress in the talks in time for a summit of all 28 EU leaders next week. Brexit negotiators from both sides have been locked in intense discussions this week, trying to overcome differences on the biggest outstanding hurdle to a deal — how to keep the Ireland-UK border open after Britain leaves the EU in March. “An agreement is within reach for October 17, next Wednesday,” Barnier said. Barnier said Brexit would trigger the need for customs, VAT and compliance checks with EU standards between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

He said customs declarations could be filled in advance online and the “only visible systematic checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK would involve scanning the bar codes on lorries or containers, which should be done on ferries or in transit ports”. For industrial goods, he said it could be done by “market surveillance authorities” in company premises. But he said checks on animals and animal-derived products would still have to take place on the border and cover all of that trade. “Our challenge is to make sure that these procedures are as easy as possible and not burdensome, particularly for small and medium business,” he said in his speech in the European Parliament, which ended in a standing ovation.