EU President Donald Tusk met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Friday.
Donald Tusk said that the EU is fully behind Ireland and the request that there should be no hard border on the island of Ireland in a visit to Dublin on Friday.
Speaking after his meeting with the Taoiseach, EU President Tusk quoted the Irish proverb “Ní neart go cur le chéile” (There is no strength without unity) and said, in relation to the border, that “we cannot allow Brexit to destroy this achievement of the Good Friday Agreement”.
My message from Dublin: Ni neart go cur le cheile. There is no strength without unity. Nie ma siły bez jedności.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) December 1, 2017
Tusk’s visit to Dublin came ahead of crucial Brexit negotiations at a European Council later this month, with the EU President making it clear that talks will not progress to the next stage if Ireland is unhappy with whatever offer is made by the UK Government.
“As you know, I asked Prime Minister May to put a final offer on the table by 4th of December so that we can assess whether sufficient progress can be made at the upcoming European Council,” said Tusk.
“And we have agreed today that before proposing guidelines on transition and future relations to the leaders, I will consult the Taoiseach if the UK’s offer is sufficient for the Irish government.
“Let me say very clearly: if the UK’s offer is unacceptable for Ireland, it will also be unacceptable for the EU. I realise that for some British politicians this may be hard to understand. But such is the logic behind the fact that Ireland is an EU member while the UK is leaving.
“This is why the key to the UK’s future lies – in some ways – in Dublin, at least as long as Brexit negotiations continue.”
You can read Tusk’s remarks in full here.
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