EU’s Sefcovic offers to reduce Northern Ireland border controls – FT

European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations Maros Sefcovic speaks during a news conference after a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in Brussels, Belgium February 21, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

Sept 12 (Reuters) – The European Union’s Brexit chief Maros Sefcovic said he could reduce physical customs checks across the Irish Sea to just a few lorries a day, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Physical checks would only be made when there is reasonable suspicion of  illegal trade smuggling, illegal drugs, dangerous toys or poisoned food, the FT reported, citing an interview with Sefcovic.

There is almost no difference between the United Kingdom’s demand for “no checks” and the EU’s offer of “minimum checks, done in an invisible manner,” the newspaper quoted Sefcovic as saying.

Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing

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