Brexit Papers a "Positive Step" say European Commission

The European Commission has welcomed the United Kingdom’s publication of position papers on Brexit.

The UK will by mid-week have set out two position papers in response to the nine already set out by the European Union’s negotiators.

The Commission has described the steps taken the UK as “positive steps towards really starting phase 1 of negotiations.”

The official response from the European Commission undermines that made by Guy Verhofstadt - leader of the European Parliament - who described the contents of the first position paper as “fantasy”.

Nevertheless, the Commission also sought to remind the UK that the “clock is ticking” on negotiations.

The UK has published a paper on the future of customs arrangements and on their position regarding the Irish border.

An official press briefing to journalists, the Commission stated that the EU is working further papers including one of the future of “customs issues” and the Irish border.

At first glance, news of the new papers appears to be a response to the UK’s two documents.

The UK’s Department for Exiting the European Union on Tuesday, August 16 proposed the establishment of a new customs relationship with the EU, the highlight of which contained proposals for an interim customs deal to commence in March 2019 which ensures trading conditions between the EU and UK remain essentially the same.

The confirmation of a transitional period was welcomed by UK businesses who require assurances of continuity to make investment decisions.

The second position paper released by the Government intends to emphasise the belief that there should be no hard border between the Irish Republic and Norther Ireland.

The customs union paper gels with the Irish paper in that both point to the need for a technology-lead solution to ensure trade and relations remain as fluid as possible.

The views are echoed by Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and it would appear the biggest stumbling block to the proposals would actually come from those members of the European Union who want to see the broader EU-UK relationship being more punitive than the Irish solution would suggest.