Ireland will step up its contingency plans for a disorderly Brexit this week as the chances of Britain leaving the EU without a deal have never been higher, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday.
With a shared land border, Ireland is considered the most vulnerable of the remaining EU members to Brexit. Lawmakers passed one of the largest-ever pieces of legislation in March to prepare as best it could for a no deal.
Coveney wrote in the Irish Times that the updated contingency plan will refine and improve on the actions that were already in place for March 29 and April 12, the original Brexit deadlines. Britain was given an extension until the end of October.
The backstop remains an absolute red line for Ireland, PM Leo Varadkar said on Monday, warning that there would also be a great deal of reluctance among EU leaders to grant Britain another extension in the talks, according to Reuters.