The internal EU document warned all member states, companies, and stakeholders to step up preparation for a no-deal Brexit scenario.
And there will be increased security at Irish airports and ports even if the UK does not crash out of the EU, Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has stated.
Minister Simon Coveney is to present detailed contingency plans to the Irish Cabinet on Wednesday after the EU issued a warning to all 27 states to step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit next March.
Publicly, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Mr Coveney have insisted no consideration is being given to the possibility of a hard Border.
Speaking in Mayo, Mr Varadkar agreed there will be changes to our ports and airports post-Brexit. “What we are not preparing for is a border between North and South. We have said categorically that there will not be a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
“We will need to make preparations for changes at our ports and airports, even if there isn’t a hard Brexit or a no-deal scenario, once Britain decides to leave the EU at some point in the future there may need to be checks that currently don’t exist and that’s really where the preparations centre on — ports and airports that deal with trade with the UK.
“That’s not that we think is a likely outcome but we think it is prudent that every member state plan for the worst, that would be a hard Brexit without a deal and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
It is likely that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit on March 29, hundreds of additional customs staff and Department of Agriculture staff will be required to deal with the fallout.
