The UK is reportedly about to concede to EU negotiators that there will be no divergence of the rules covering the EU single market and customs union on the island of Ireland after Brexit, according to RTE.
Evidence for this comes from a draft negotiating text seen by RTE News.
Such a concession would have far reaching implications for Northern Ireland and its future with EU structures – should this be accepted by the Irish government – the media outlet reports.
The discussions are yet to be concluded, with signs that the British government is having difficulties with the latest version of the text on Ireland, RTE reports.
A special meeting of the Irish cabinet is reviewing discussions with the British government this morning, and has delayed both the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed from attending today’s Food Wise 2025 conference in Croke Park.
RTE credits “two well-placed sources”, noting that the text which has been the subject of intense negotiations over most of the past week, suggests that the UK will agree that on either side of the border there would be no divergence on EU single market and customs union rules after Brexit.
Such a move is the Irish government’s preferred solution for avoiding a hard border.
The text allegedly also says that the UK has agreed that the Good Friday Agreement will be protected.