Belfast agreement will continue to apply in all Brexit scenarios: Michel Barnier

The Good Friday agreement to bring peace to Northern Ireland will continue to apply in all Brexit scenarios, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday. Respecting the Good Friday agreement meant preventing the return of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"In all scenarios, the Good Friday agreement will continue to apply. The United Kingdom will remain a core guarantor of that agreement and is expected to uphold it in spirit and in the letter," he said. "The Commission is ready to make additional resources available to Ireland, technical and financial to address any additional challenges," he continued.