Washington / Dublin. As negotiations between the European Union and Great Britain over the Brexit trade deal went awry, elected US President Joe Biden once again campaigned for an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. “The idea of ​​closing the north-south border is not right,” Biden said after a report by Irish broadcaster RTE on Wednesday.

“We have to keep the border open,” he said of the border between British Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Currently, London and Brussels are still wrestling with a post-Brexit trade deal. As has been the case for months, time has passed but no progress has been seen. An agreement must be reached by both parties before the end of the year. Without a contract, there will be tariffs, traffic jams and other disruptions.

Biden has Irish roots

Biden was declared the winner of the November 7 US presidential election. Even before the election, he declared that peace between Ireland and Northern Ireland should not become a “victim of Brexit.” Biden has Irish roots: his grandfather immigrated to the USA from Ireland.

Great Britain has also warned Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin of the consequences of Brexit without a trade agreement with the European Union. Conservative Party leader Fianna Fil called Brexit “devastating” and “very damaging.” Great Britain must also be very careful not to jeopardize the political stability of Northern Ireland. No deal can actually cause unnecessary stress.

The Brexit agreement, concluded at the beginning of the year, provides for special rules for Northern Ireland, which is intended to prevent the EU’s tight border with Ireland and new hostility there.