The technical Brexit agreement reached between EU and British negotiators envisages the two sides deciding in July 2020 whether they will have a new deal in place to ensure an open Irish border after the post-Brexit transition ends at the end of 2020, EU sources said.

If not, London would be able to chose between extending the transition period once, possibly until the end of 2021, or going into a "bare-bones" customs arrangement that would cover all of the United Kingdom but in which Northern Ireland would be aligned more closely with the EU's customs rules and production standards, the diplomatic sources said in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to convince cabinet on Wednesday to accept the draft EU divorce deal that her opponents say threatens both her government and the unity of the United Kingdom. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie