German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her solidarity with the Irish government and pledged the European Union’s support for averting a hard border between Ireland and the UK in case of a no-deal Brexit, during a joint press conference with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Thursday.
At the same time, Merkel noted that the European Union still hopes “for an orderly Brexit.”
“We will simply have to be able to do this. We hope for a solution we can agree together with Britain,” she said, before adding: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
In turn, speaking about possible implications of a no-deal scenario, Varadkar said: “It is not possible quite frankly to have a clear plan.”
“A lot of it will depend on what Britain decides to do,” he added.
The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on April 12, if the parliament fails to pass a withdrawal deal. However, the lingering uncertainty of MPs means that there is still a not agreed-upon scenario. The alternative departure date of May 22 is also a possibility, if a deal is passed by the UK parliament. Ireland is therefore holding talks with European leaders concerning possible implications of a no-deal for its border with Northern Ireland.