EU Says United Ireland Would Be Automatic Full Member

European Union leaders promised on Saturday to embrace the British province of Northern Ireland into the EU if a referendum unites it with the Republic of Ireland, Reuters reports.

At a summit called to agree the EU's plan for negotiating with Britain at it leaves the bloc, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny asked fellow members to acknowledge that Northern Ireland would, like East Germany in 1990, automatically enter the EU in the event of unification with existing member state.