UK to spend millions to ease Brexit red tape for N Ireland

The British government will spend up 355 million pounds ($465 million) to help businesses in Northern Ireland deal with the red tape caused by Brexit, officials said Friday.

Brexit’s supporters, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, say leaving the European Union will be a boon for U.K. businesses. Many economists are skeptical of that claim, and Brexit presents special challenges for Northern Ireland, which shares a border with EU member Ireland.

Britain left the 27-nation bloc on Jan. 31 but it remains bound by the EU’s rules until the end of 2020, when a post-Brexit transition period expires. The two sides are trying to negotiate a new trade agreement before the deadline, but remain far apart on key issues including competition rules and fishing rights.

A withdrawal agreement between the two sides requires the all-but-invisible border between Ireland and Northern Ireland to remain free of customs posts and other barriers. That means there will be new checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

The British government says these will be minimal, and is setting up a Trader Support Service to help Northern Ireland firms handle customs declarations and other paperwork involved in importing goods. The government says it will commit up to 200 million pounds for the service over five years, and will also spend up to 155 million pounds on new technology.

Friday’s announcements also include 300 million pounds for peace and reconciliation projects in Northern Ireland.

Many in Northern Ireland worry that Brexit could undermine the peace process that ended three decades of violence, by hardening the border with the Irish Republic.

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MADRID (AP) — British and Spanish foreign ministers said a new round of talks held Friday over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain’s exit from the European Union were productive and significant progress was made.

The meeting was between Spain's José Manuel Albares, Britain’s David Cameron and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also attended. It was the first time representatives from the four areas had come together for talks on the issue.

In a statement after the meeting, the parties said "discussions took place in a constructive atmosphere, with significant progress achieved.

“General political lines have been agreed (on), including on airport, goods and mobility. Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks to conclude the EU-UK Agreement,” it added.

All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June.

Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border have made halting progress in the 19 rounds of negotiations so far, but both Spanish and U.K. officials have recently expressed optimism about a deal.

In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spain's southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries.

A major sticking point has been who controls Gibraltar’s airport, which under the proposed free-movement deal would be an external border of the EU. The U.K. and Gibraltar have resisted Spain’s insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base.

The British Foreign Office said Thursday that while it did not expect a final agreement Friday, "getting senior political figures from the UK, European Commission, Spain and Gibraltar in one room is significant.”

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless reported from London.