County Kildare Chamber welcomes Brexit guarantee of ‘no hard border’ between Ireland and Northern Ireland, following this morning’s announcement that both negotiating teams are ready to move into the second phase of talks

CEO of County Kildare Chamber, Allan Shine said this morning:

“We welcome UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement with a guarantee of no hard border on the island of Ireland and congratulate all parties on reaching a successful outcome. The business community particularly welcomes news that that there will be an Irish chapter of trade negotiations going into phase two of the talks. Ensuring that Ireland’s unique circumstances will continue to be recognised as part of the ongoing Brexit negotiations is a remarkable achievement on behalf of the Government.

However great uncertainties remain for businesses. We emphasise the urgency of starting second phase talks as soon as possible so that when the inevitable complications emerge, they can be addressed early in the process.  

The need for a realistic time-frame for transition must also be addressed. The complexity of issues that business will face following the UK’s departure from the EU is likely to require a transition period lasting several years and ensuring agreement on this must be a focus of the next round of negotiations.”