Irish Examiner View: Agreements are not made to be broken

There are still major issues of contention between that makes an extension to Brexit negotiations more likely — but pushing the deadline back further will only be possible if both parties negotiate in good faith.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street. Mr Johnson's Government wants to override elements of the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU in October, 2019.  
Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

THERE are deadlines — and then there are deadlines. They operate as a kind of alarm clock, a spur to action, and a forceful nudge towards meaningful engagement. Brexit negotiations are full of them. Two notable deadlines have passed already this year: January 31, when the UK entered its transition period for exiting the EU; and June 30 when the deadline for extending that period passed. The most important deadline of all will come on the last day of the year, when the UK formally leaves the EU, with or without a trade deal.

Today was regarded by some negotiators as another, albeit informal, deadline: The date on which it was necessary to have at least a broad outline of what a final agreement would look like. But that deadline appears to have passed as EU leaders who are meeting in Brussels today and tomorrow to discuss Brexit say that progress in talks with Britain is “still not sufficient” to seal a new trade deal with the UK. Here at home, the reality of Brexit is evident with the first budget of the Coalition being framed not just by the pandemic but also by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.