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New bilateral Anglo-Ireland agreement needed as part of Brexit

Xinhua, December 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

The challenges of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) call for a new Anglo-Irish agreement, said a report released on Monday by Britain's House of Lords' EU Committee.

The report issued a call for all parties to the upcoming Brexit negotiations to give official recognition to the special, unique nature of British-Irish relations.

The message from politicians in Britain's upper house at Westminster is directed at both the British government and institutions of the Brussels-based European Union.

Following the June referendum when Britain voted to leave the EU, the committee outlined "the many economic, political, legal and institutional challenges of Brexit for Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and for UK-Irish relations as a whole".

In its findings published Monday, the committee concluded that any negative impact of Brexit on the British economy is likely to be replicated, or even magnified, for the Irish economy.

"The Committee ... calls on the UK and Irish governments to negotiate a draft bilateral agreement, incorporating the views and interests of the Northern Ireland Executive, which would then need to be agreed by the EU as part of the final Brexit negotiations," it said.

The key aspects the committee cites includes the continuation of the current open land border between Britain and Ireland.

When Britain leaves the EU in 2019, the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be the only land border within the British Isles between the EU and Britain.

The committee has called for the maintenance of the Common Travel Area, the right of free movement within it for British and Irish citizens, and their right to reside and work in both countries. This arrangement has existed since the 1920s and pre-dates both countries joining the EU.

The Lords also want the retention of the right to Irish (and therefore EU) citizenship for the people of Northern Ireland.

Also suggested is a customs and trade arrangement between Britain and Ireland if the UK leaves the customs union.

Fears have been expressed that without an agreement, there could be a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, once Britain parts company with the EU, as Ireland will stay as one of the then 27 nations in the EU bloc. Endit