The Story
There was supposed to be a Brexit update by now. There’s not.
Why?
Well, in short, Northern Ireland. It’s part of the UK – which some people haven’t been ok with. Meet a violent and complicated history. In the ’90s, a peace deal there got rid of its border with the Republic of Ireland – which worked out since both were part of the EU. But now that the UK is leaving the bloc, the question is how to avoid a hard border – which could mean customs checkpoints, and potentially violence. This would be the only UK-EU land border, which is why it’s causing so many issues.
What’s the latest?
EU leaders are in Brussels for an EU summit. UK PM Theresa May is under serious pressure from some in her Conservative Party to have a clean cut with the bloc, ASAP. But it’s proving much harder than it looks. The UK officially leaves the EU in March 2019. And wants to finalize things by the end of the year so that people and businesses can know what the eff to expect. May has until the end of 2020 as a transition period, but now that talks have stalled she might ask for a little extension.
What if they can’t work things out?
 Too bad. Brexit would still move forward with no deal, which could lead to serious trade confusion and chaos. If that happens, there’s a backup plan to avoid a hard border: keep Northern Ireland part of the EU single market longer. Reminder: the single market means that goods and services can move freely within the bloc. But there are issues around that, too – like how long that would last.
theSkimm
May is under a ton of pressure to negotiate a seriously delicate situation at home, abroad, and even within her party. And if she doesn’t get it right soon, her government might up and collapse. No pressure. |
Too bad. Brexit would still move forward with no deal, which could lead to serious trade confusion and chaos. If that happens, there’s a backup plan to avoid a hard border: keep Northern Ireland part of the EU single market longer.