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Ireland would back any request from the UK for an extension to the Article 50 process to give more time to negotiate withdrawal from the EU, Simon Coveney has said.<\/p>\nIreland would back any request from the UK for an extension to the Article 50 process to give more time to negotiate withdrawal from the EU, Simon Coveney has said.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney rejected Eurosceptic talk of a no-deal Brexit as \u201cbravado\u201d and said he believed there was still time to reach agreement by October.<\/p>\n
But called for an \u201cintensification\u201d of talks at official level over the summer to resolve outstanding differences.<\/p>\n
Elements of the UK negotiating position laid out in Theresa May\u2019s Brexit white paper would be difficult for Brussels to accommodate, he warned, though he added that the document had made negotiations \u201ceasier\u201d by backing away from earlier red lines.<\/p>\n
He dismissed suggestions that amendments to Brexit legislation forced on Mrs May by Eurosceptic backbenchers would prevent agreement on a \u201cbackstop\u201d arrangement for the Northern Irish border.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney was speaking as talks continued in Brussels, with a meeting between EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab scheduled for Thursday.<\/p>\n
Mrs May confirmed on Tuesday that she had taken personal charge of the negotiations, with Mr Raab \u201cdeputising\u201d for her in Brussels.<\/p>\n
Tory Eurosceptics have voiced concerns that Mr Raab\u2019s department has been sidelined by Number 10 and Mrs May\u2019s Europe adviser Olly Robbins, amid increasing speculation that divisions within the Conservative camp may result in a no-deal Brexit.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney confirmed that Ireland was making contingency plans to cope with Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.<\/p>\n
But he told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today program: \u201cThe truth is I don\u2019t believe that Britain can afford a no-deal Brexit, I don\u2019t believe Ireland or the EU want that either.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe negative implications of a no-deal Brexit are very significant for Ireland and the UK. We all have an obligation to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen. I think it\u2019s very unlikely to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether Ireland would back an extension of the Article 50 process, Mr Coveney said: \u201cAbsolutely, if Britain asks for more time and if that is necessary to get to a sensible agreement, we would support that, of course we would.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think, even though the timetable is tight, it is possible to achieve an outcome that is good for Britain and good for the EU within the timelines that are currently there. But it also requires an intensification of the negotiations on Brexit.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can’t have a negotiation on the basis of passing laws in your parliament or introducing amendments in your parliament and then saying, `Sorry, we have no flexibility now<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney said that the UK had been \u201cnegotiating with itself\u201d in the six months before the publication of the white paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now have clarity in terms of what the British Government ask is,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there are elements of that that would be difficult to negotiate\u2026 but I think it is easier to achieve now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Potential stumbling blocks in Mrs May\u2019s plan include the separation of regimes for goods and services and the creation of a \u201ccomplex\u201d new customs arrangement under which different tariffs are charged for imports destined for the UK or EU, he said.<\/p>\n
But he rejected the idea that the amendment passed by the Commons barring a customs border in the Irish Sea would make it impossible to agree the EU\u2019s backstop plan for Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t have a negotiation on the basis of passing laws in your parliament or introducing amendments in your parliament and then saying, \u2018Sorry, we have no flexibility now\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe European Union could do the same and we would get nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney\u2019s comments came as more details emerged of planning for a no-deal Brexit.<\/p>\n
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs he had asked officials to \u201cwork up options for stockpiling\u201d by the pharmaceutical industry, while Mr Raab said the Government would also take steps to ensure an \u201cadequate food supply\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sarah Wollaston, chairwoman of the Commons Health Select Committee, called for more clarity about the Government\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n
The pro-EU Tory told BBC\u2019s Newsnight: \u201cIt\u2019s not just about stockpiling here, there are some products that can\u2019t be stockpiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround 700,000 diagnostic tests every year in the NHS require medical radioisotopes but these have very short shelf-lives, they can\u2019t be stockpiled and they aren\u2019t manufactured here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two former Northern Ireland secretaries, Owen Paterson and Theresa Villiers, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that technological solutions can be made to work to keep the Irish border soft, \u201cif only they are not delayed by political squabbles\u201d.<\/p>\n