Ireland should be drawing up contingency plans for the EU unravelling after Brexit and a possible French departure, an economic adviser to successive Irish governments has said. “If France exits the EU, Ireland would lose a major ally in debates over the common agricultural policy (CAP). “Ireland’s strategy while the EU survives should emphasise trade and market access, and also to develop trade with the rest of the world, as an insurance against an EU breakup. “If Ireland wants the French to stay in the EU, presumably to retain an ally to support CAP, we had better form an ‘entente cordiale’ now. Ireland has most to lose from a hard Brexit, with tariffs and border posts reinstated with its main trading partner.

Source: The Guardian November 15, 2016 14:39 UTC