Simon Coveney: EU will not force a border on Ireland if no Brexit trade deal agreed

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said if Britain implements the controversial Internal Market Bill, the EU will take further legal action rather than let the bill damage Ireland. Picture: Julien Behal

Simon Coveney says that Ireland will not be abandoned and forced to implement a border by the EU if a Brexit trade deal is not reached.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs told the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs that if Britain implements the controversial Internal Market Bill, the EU will take further legal action rather than let the bill damage Ireland.

The UK has already been put on formal notice after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to respond to Brussels’ demand that he drop legislation that would overwrite the withdrawal agreement and break international law.

"If we don't get a trade deal and the British government follow through on their legislation and effectively don't implement the protocol in full as it should be implemented, one of the consequences of that, from my viewpoint, is that I cannot see a situation where, if the British government decided effectively to renege on their obligations of the protocol in certain specific areas, I don't see the EU simply abandoning Ireland and saying: 'Well, Ireland is no longer protecting the integrity of the single market therefore, they have a choice to make: either implement a border on the island, or a border will be de facto created between Ireland and the rest of the single market,'" Mr Coveney said.

"That is not what's going to happen.

"What will happen is the EU will require the UK to fulfil its obligations under international law, and it will have a knock-on consequence in terms of the relationship between the UK and the EU, because the UK needs EU facilitation in multiple areas from January 1, around data, around financial services, around aviation, around judicial cooperation and security cooperation, it's not like everything else is sorted and it's only the Irish issue is left outstanding.

What will happen here is if there's not a trade deal, and if the UK decided to breach international law, or not implement what they are required to implement under the protocol, then that creates a new relationship and I think quite a negative one, between the EU and the UK.

"I think the solidarity for Ireland in that circumstance where again we kind of get squeezed in, in the breakdown of agreements, I think there will be extraordinary solidarity shown in that situation.

"I think we'll get a lot of support and help from an EU perspective, and all the focus will be on the British government following through on what they have a legal obligation to follow through on, and legal action if necessary.

If the current legal threat sent by EU Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen is followed through on, and Britain and the EU face off in court over the Internal Market Bill, Mr Coveney said it would be: "A monumental failure of politics and diplomacy and self-harm for Britain in particular, but also with the implications impacting in Ireland in a very negative way, and I don't think it will come to that, I think the British government would see the folly of that approach.

"But, having said that, we have difficult issues to overcome to make sure this doesn't get there."

Mr Coveney says that he believes the UK will come to regret the Internal Market Bill should it reach that stage and that they have damaged their standing on the world stage.

"A lot of people are down in Brussels right now," he said.

"But the truth of this thing is, this has been left to the last minute, there are big obstacles to overcome.

"The British government's approach in the last few weeks particularly linked to the Internal Market Bill has taken a lot of people by surprise, it's not what people expect from Britain, quite frankly, so trust has been damaged.

"But I think there is some more optimism now than there was a few weeks ago and I think the phone call between President Von der Leyen, and Prime Minister Johnson was helpful in terms of reinforcing the message that a deal can be done here."

Meanwhile, the European Parliament elected Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness as Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets. 

The former Vice-President of the EP won 583 votes out of a total ballot of 695. She will replace former Fine Gael TD Phil Hogan who resigned after the Oireachtas Golf society scandal.