Goodbody Stockbrokers has today reported that the UK and the EU have reached yet another impasse in the Brexit discussions ahead of this week’s European Council summit.
 
Discussions that were due to take place today have been called off such is the substance of the disagreements between the two sides that were aired at a meeting of the UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday. 
 
Goodbody say the the key stumbling block, once again, is the backstop on how to indefinitely avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Proposals that the UK would stay in the customs union “unless and until” a deal could be reached that would avoid the need for checks at the border are not being accepted by the UK side, with pressure from the hard-line Brexiteers to ensure that any move to keep the UK in the customs union must be time-limited.

Comments from the DUP’s Arlene Foster over the weekend suggest that they are also opposed to the proposals that have been mooted to date.
 
According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "Despite positive noises that progress was being made over recent weeks, it seems that an unstoppable force has met an immovable object on the issue of the Irish border. This week’s summit will be revealing as to where talks go from here and whether preparations should be stepped up for a hard-Brexit."

Source: www.businessworld.ie