Jean-Claude Juncker Inclined to Give up the Irish Border Backstop

Yesterday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that he was inclined to give up the Irish border security mechanism (backstop) if all targets were met, BTA reported.

"I don't have an erotic relation to the backstop", which he said he was prepared to remove from a withdrawal agreement, so long as "alternative arrangements [are put in place] allowing us and Britain to achieve the main objectives of the backstop. All of them", Sky News reported.

The clause stipulating that the United Kingdom will remain in a "single customs territory" with the EU unless a better solution is found after the transitional period is at the heart of the disagreement between London and Brussels. The aim is to avoid the return of a physical border between the EU Member State of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.