Donegal businesses on 'Brexit watch' today

Businesses throughout Donegal will be keeping a close eye on developments across the water today as British prime minister Rishi Sunak meets the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to wrap up the Brexit agreement once and for all.

Sources claim it contained “significant and fafar-reachingconcessions from the European Union that would safeguard Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom.

Significantly, they said that the deal would involve changes to the existing Brexit withdrawal treaty with the EU, which Brussels had always ruled out.

Sunak nevertheless faces a struggle to convince sceptical MPs and the Democratic Unionist Party to accept the compromise amid fears that the deal could reignite the Tory civil war over Brexit.

Under the terms of the agreement, it is said the EU has agreed to scrap checks and paperwork on the vast majority of goods and produce sent from Britain to Northern Ireland.

The EU has also agreed to not apply more than 90 percent of single market rules on products made in Northern Ireland, as long as they are not exported to the republic.

Northern Ireland will still potentially have to follow future EU legislation but this will only be imposed after consultation with London and Belfast.

The European Court of Justice will remain the ultimate arbiter of single market rules applying in Northern Ireland but with new safeguards to ensure that cases cannot be directly referred to the court by Brussels.

If a final deal is agreed upon, the prime minister and the president of the European Commission will then hold a short joint press conference in the late afternoon. The prime minister will then head to the House of Commons to deliver a statement on the agreement.

How this will affect firms here that deal directly with outlets in Britain remains to be seen but many regard this latest development as progress and an opportunity.

A statement form the Border Communities Against Brexit group is expected shortly