Brussels to give ground on Irish backstop as EU seeks to avoid Brexit no deal | City A.M.

Brussels looks set to concede some ground on the Irish backstop issue, as officials attempt to avoid Brexit talks ending in failure.

According to the Financial Times, the European Commission is considering limiting the legal powers the ECJ would hold over Northern Ireland under a backstop agreement, which is a critical component of the withdrawal deal.

Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has previously called to “de-dramatise” the issue and indicated during a recent press conference that work was being carried out to find a solution.

“We have proposed one solution but at no point was it our intention to create a border in the Irish sea,” Barnier said last month. “But, at the same time, we need a solution that protects our borders and our consumers.”

He stressed it was simply about border checks and urged pragmatism, adding: “I plead with you – let’s de-dramatise issue of checks and the backstop.”

Barnier’s original proposal, issued in March, recommended that EU courts, customs authorities and regulators near unimpeded authority over the province to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. But this was immediately shot down as unacceptable by Theresa May, who then put forward a proposal that would see the whole of the UK remain in a etmporary customs union – though this was itself rejected by Barnier.

The backstop has become a crunch issue for the Brexit process, as without it the rest of the withdrawal agreement including transition – will be rendered null and void and the UK will crash out of the EU without a deal in place.