The European Union is due to publish a legal draft of its Brexit withdrawal agreement, according to a BBC report.
The EU is expected to set out its position in regards to Northern Ireland and how it will interact with the Republic of Ireland once Britain leaves the single market.
According to reports, an EU diplomat will call for Northern Ireland to remain in the EU customs union and adopt European single market rules.
The report is in response to talks of a ‘hard border’ – which both the UK and EU Government have dismissed.
The two Irish nations currently coexist under the 1998 treaty – more commonly known as the Good Friday Agreement. There are worries that Brexit could “undermine” the agreement, but the EU will present three possible options to avoid physical changes of the Irish border.
Any deal will need to be ratified before the official exit date in 2019.
The draft document is believed to be more than 200 pages long and contain over 160 legal articles. Among proposals for Ireland, the treaty will cover all aspects of the UK’s divorce and transition out of the EU.
Trade talks will be left out of the document, only to be discussed once Britain officially leaves the single market.