- Title: EU's Juncker, Tusk say Brexit deal should work for Northern Ireland
- Date: 17th October 2019
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) CROWD WAITING BEHIND BARRIERS EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, GETTING OUT OF CAR AND WALKING TOWARDS REPORTERS / (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, SAYING: "Are you happy today?" JOURNALIST ANSWERING (English): "Are we happy with the deal?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, SAYING: "You can be happy. I had the (British) prime minister (Boris Johnson) on the phone, it was this morning and we concluded the deal. Well done." JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Is it going to get through parliament, you think?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, SAYING: "I am not in charge of the British Parliament, fortunately not." JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Should the people of Northern Ireland be content with what's on offer?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, SAYING: "I think so." MAN EATING BEHIND SECURITY BARRIER EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT, DONALD TUSK, ARRIVING AND WALKING TOWARDS JOURNALISTS / (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT, DONALD TUSK, SAYING: "Deal is always better than no deal, but I am not happy because of the substance of this political fact. I am a 'remainer'. But of course deal is much better than no deal." JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Is this good for the people of Northern Ireland?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT, DONALD TUSK, SAYING: "I am quite sure that the recommendations on the Commission's side and the positive assessment of the Taoiseach, Prime Minister Varadkar, this is for me a guarantee that for our citizens, on the continent but also in Ireland, that this deal is O.K. Otherwise, I would not have accepted it." PEOPLE WAITING BEHIND SECURITY BARRIER POLICEMAN TALKING TO MAN
- Embargoed: 31st October 2019 11:12
- Keywords: Brexit Britain European Union Donald Tusk Jean-Claude Juncker Brussels British Parliament Boris Johnson
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1HKQIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The new Brexit deal reached by Britain and the European Union on Thursday (October 17) should also work for Northern Ireland, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters as they arrived for a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) group.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hoping to get approval for the agreement in a vote at an extraordinary session of the British parliament on Saturday (October 19), to pave the way for an orderly departure on Oct. 31.
However, the Northern Irish party that Johnson needs to help ratify any agreement has refused to support the deal that was hammered out over weeks of negotiations.
The new agreement will keep Northern Ireland in the U.K. customs area, but tariffs will apply on goods crossing from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland if they are deemed to be headed further, to Ireland and the bloc's single market.
However, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which supports Johnson's government, said the text was not acceptable - a step that could spur hardline Brexiteers in his own Conservative party also to oppose ratification unless he secures additional changes.
(Production: Christian Levaux and Pascale Antonie) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
