STORYLINE

Britain and the European Union warned December 8th that talks on a post-Brexit free-trade deal are teetering on the brink of collapse, with just over three weeks until an economic rupture that will cause upheaval for businesses on both sides of the English Channel.

Officials downplayed the chances of a breakthrough when Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to Brussels for face-to-face talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the next few days.

With negotiators deadlocked on key issues after months of tense talks, German European Affairs Minister Michael Roth said the bloc’s confidence in Britain was hanging in the balance.

Johnson’s Downing Street office said the situation was “very tricky” and collapse of the talks was a distinct possibility.

Johnson and von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive arm, spoke by phone December 7th for the second time in 48 hours.

They said afterwards that “significant differences” remained on three key issues - fishing rights, fair-competition rules and the governance of future disputes - and “the conditions for finalizing an agreement are not there.”

The two leaders said in the joint statement that they planned to discuss the remaining differences “in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days.”

Leaders of the EU's 27 nations are holding a two-day summit in Brussels starting Thursday.

***

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Brussels on December 9th, ahead of crunch Brexit trade talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the evening.

The leaders of Britain and the European Union will meet for a dinner that could pave the way to a post-Brexit trade deal - or tip the two sides toward a chaotic economic rupture at the end of the month.

They have just a few hours over a multi-course meal to unstick negotiations that are deadlocked on key aspects of the future relationship for the EU and Britain.

The U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31st after 47 years of membership, but remains within the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union until the end of the year.

Reaching a trade deal by then would ensure there are no tariffs or quotas on trade in goods on Jan. 1st, although there would still be new costs and red tape for businesses.

Failure to secure a trade deal would mean tariffs and other barriers that would hurt both sides, although most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit because the U.K. does almost half of its trade with the bloc.

***

As Brexit talks enter their decisive final days, there's still a big catch: the fishing industry.

It is holding up the trade deal between the European Union and recently departed Britain, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of billions of euros in annual production losses.

French fishermen are anxious about a looming no-deal Brexit, following months of talks by negotiators seeking to cobble together a trade deal in the wake of their Brexit divorce.

While French and other European fishermen currently take much of their catch in UK waters, a no-deal Brexit could end or significantly limit that.

Twenty-eight year old fisherman Mathieu Pinto is concerned about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit.

Docking his boat, L'Ophelea, in the French port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer after a night of fishing sea-snails or whelk, Pinto said that the vast majority of his catch comes from British waters and there will be a "huge impact" on his business.

Pinto believes the consequences of the end of the current fishing policies would mean war amongst European boats fishing across the same coastal waters in France.

There is essentially not enough to go around, he said.

Pinto talks with other fishermen here in Boulogne and he says they are all just as scared as he is.

He says he is not yet ready to sell his boat but as someone who learned the trade handed down through his family, he is quickly losing his passion.

As well as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Denmark are among those directly implicated by the potential closing off of UK waters.

Brussels has proposed a 12-month period for continued reciprocal access to fishing waters but Britain has suggested this could be rejected.

For centuries, foreign fishermen shared the plentiful waters off Britain, and it has been no different since the UK joined the EU in 1973.

But as catches dwindled, sometimes to a fraction of their previous numbers because of ruthless overexploitation, the number of British fishermen has dwindled from 22,000 in 1975 to 12,000 in 2018.

Rightly or wrongly, EU trawlers venturing freely in UK waters came to be seen as a symbol of plunder and exploitation.

When Britain voted to leave, saving UK waters for UK fishermen became a rallying cry.

In an ideal scenario, British fishermen would have all the waters to themselves, able to expand what so long has been a diminishing industry but it's not that simple.

The EU came into the trade negotiations demanding that its boats continue being allowed to fish.

Even though Brexit left the bloc in a much weaker position, UK exports gave it leverage.

Some 80% of fish landed in the UK is exported, and three-quarters of that goes to the EU.

If the continent closes off its markets, fish would be left rotting on British quays.

The debate during the final days centers on how the issues of fishing rights for EU trawlers could be reconciled with low or no tariffs for UK exports through fish-processing hubs like Boulogne-sur-Mer.

***

Lorries travelling to the UK port of Dover were stuck in traffic jams that stretched back several kilometres on December 12th.

The queues built up even though it's three weeks before Britain leaves the European Union.

Logistics companies have reported a surge in demand for imports ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit.

The British government has warned that even with a deal, there could be queues as long as 100 kilometres if companies don't prepare the new paperwork.

***

Tensions were high in Dover on December 23rd as thousands of drivers remained stranded at the UK port.

Police were confronted by frustrated drivers in the road leading to the ferries, before backing away from the crowd.

People ran to return to their vehicles after officers signalled to move the traffic towards the port.

Many have been stuck in Dover for three days now after France banned travel from the UK on Sunday following news of a new variant of coronavirus spreading across south east England.

A deal was reached between the two countries to resume travel on December 23rd, as long as travellers showed a negative COVID test result from within the last 72 hours.

British Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said around 4,000 trucks may be waiting in the county of Kent to cross the Channel and urged other truckers not to head there until the backlog is cleared.

It will take “a few days” to test all the drivers before they can travel to France, he said.

***

Scuffles broke out at the UK's Dover Port on December 23rd when police attempted to clear a route for health workers to arrive as efforts to clear a backlog of stranded drivers continued.

A police escort led in a group of cars carrying National Health Service test and trace workers and people were instructed to return to their vehicles as testing was about to commence.

However, some drivers who were stranded at the port were protesting by blocking vehicles from leaving the port.

A man was removed by police officers when he laid down in front of a truck.

Another protester attempted to stop a bus of port workers from entering.

Gridlock at the English port had kept thousands of truckers and travellers stranded on Wednesday despite a deal with France to lift a two-day blockade imposed because of a new variant of the coronavirus that had isolated Britain and raised fears of food shortages.

Nations around the world began barring people from Britain over the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that scientists said a new version of the virus whipping around London and England's southeast may be more contagious.

***

Britain's Brexit negotiator David Frost left the UK Mission in Brussels to go to the EU Commission on December 24th, as the two sides appeared to be on the cusp of striking a trade deal.

Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and right into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides on New Year's Day.

After resolving the remaining fair-competition and almost all fisheries issues on December 23rd, negotiators combed through hundreds of pages of legal text that should become the blueprint for a post-Brexit relationship.

As during much of the nine-month negotiations, the issue of EU fleets in British waters proved the most intractable and divisive, with negotiators still haggling over quotas for some individual species as dawn came.

Still, sources on both sides said the long and difficult negotiations were on the cusp of being wrapped up as negotiators, holed up at EU headquarters in Brussels with a stack of pizzas, worked to deliver the text to their leaders on Thursday.

***

While corks may have popped in London and Brussels over reaching the relative certainty of a post-Brexit trade deal after years of delays and negotiations, there was one rocky speck of British soil still left in limbo.

Gibraltar, known colloquially as The Rock, is a UK colony jutting off the southern tip of Spain's mainland.

But it was not included in the agreement announced on Christmas Eve between the European Union and the UK to reorganise commercial and trade relations between the now 27-member bloc and the first nation to exit the group

The deadline for Gibraltar remains January 1st, when a transitionary period regulating the short frontier between Gibraltar and Spain expires.

If no deal is reached, there are serious concerns that a hard border would cause disruption for the workers, tourists and major business connections across the two sides.

More than 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, making up about 50% of Gibraltar's labour force, and their cross-border journeys help make up the 30 million annual crossings.

Oscar Aguilera is a 40-year-old resident of La Linea De La Concepcion, the Spanish town that borders Gibraltar.

Every day, he crosses the frontier to work for a cleaning company based on The Rock.

Aguilera says he relies heavily on a fluid border for his daily work commute and worries about what will happen if there is no deal.

The Rock was ceded to the UK in 1713, and for three centuries, the strategic outcrop of high terrain has given its navy command of the narrow seaway linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Spain, however, has never dropped its claim to sovereignty over it and throughout the Brexit talks, it insisted it wants a say on the future of Gibraltar.

It succeeded in convincing the EU to separate the issue of Gibraltar from the wider Brexit negotiations, meaning that Madrid is handling all talks directly with its counterparts in Gibraltar and London.

The Spanish foreign ministry has warned that if an agreement is not reached before 1 January, the long lines of stranded truck drivers seen at the English Channel crossing could be repeated.

On Monday Spain's foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya reiterated that her government wants to reach a deal, adding that "there's no plan B", and that "either there's a deal with the United Kingdom or there's a hard border."

Lorenzo Pérez-Periañez, who represents the La Linea Association of Small and Medium enterprises, has no doubt that a hard border would be devastating for the economies of both Gibraltar and Spain.

But he is keen to stress that it's not all about the financial impact, as border restrictions will impact families living on both sides.

Gibraltar's population of about 34,000 was overwhelmingly against leaving the EU.

In the UK's 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU, because they felt the trade bloc would give them more leverage to deal with Madrid.

***

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 30th signed the post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

Johnson told the media after the signing that "this is not the end, it is a new beginning".

Britain’s House of Commons voted to approve the deal, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the UK’s years-long Brexit journey.

With just a day to spare, lawmakers voted 521-73 December 30th to approve the agreement sealed between the UK government and the EU last week.

It will become British law once is passes through the unelected House of Lords on December 30th and gets formal royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II.

The UK left the EU almost a year ago, but remained within the bloc’s economic embrace during a transition period that ends at midnight Brussels time -- 11 p.m. in London - on December 31st.

02:01:31

00:00:00

GVs of EU buildings as Brexit stalemate remains

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 08 December 2020

1. Close of front of the European Commission logo

2. Wide of Christmas trees for sale in front of the European Commission

00:07:15

UK PM arrives at ambassador residence in Brussels

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 9 December 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

3. Various of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at the residence of the U.K. ambassador to Belgium ahead of Brexit talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

00:12:07

French fishermen anxious over no-deal Brexit

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boulogne-Sur-Mer - 10 December 2020

4. French fishing boat L'Ophelea arriving into Boulogne port after fishing overnight

5. Shellfish catch - whelk or sea snails- being unloaded from the boat

6. Fish and fishmongers

00:25:16

Lorries in long queues at Dover ahead of Brexit

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 12 December 2020

7. Various of queues of lorries heading to Dover port

8. Dover port from the cliffs

00:37:16

Tensions high in Dover as some vehicles start move

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

9. Man confronts police officer in front of lorry

10. Row of police formed in front of lorry

00:45:16

Scuffles as police try to clear route for testing in Dover

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

11. Wide of man being removed from road by police officers

12. People demonstrating, one man stepping in front of bus

13. Police officers in front of road sign reading (English) "Return to vehicles, testing to commence"

00:57:16

Frost in Brussels on cusp of striking Brexit trade deal

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 24 December 2020

14. The UK's chief Brexit negotiator leaving the UK mission getting into car to go to the EU Commission, car leaving

01:05:08

Gibraltar’s post-Brexit border with Spain in limbo

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gibraltar - 22 December 2020

15. Workers crossing border into Gibraltar from Spain

16. Spanish worker Oscar Aguilera entering Gibraltar

Gibraltar - 19 December 2020

17. Various of people walking in town, at cafe

01:24:18

Johnson signs post Brexit trade deal

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UK POOL

London - 30 December 2020

18. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signing trade deal, UPSOUND (English) Boris Johnson: " Here it is folks, this is it. And I know the question you will all be asking yourselves is, have I read it? The answer is yes. And it's an excellent deal for this country. But also, for our friends and partners. "

LEAD IN:

With Brexit looming, fears are growing that border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic could become a reality.  

If that happens among the worst affected industries in the border areas will be tourism which relies heavily on ease of travel between the two jurisdictions.   

STORY-LINE:

Just four kilometres (2.5 miles) south of the border with Northern Ireland, Belturbet in Co. Cavan in the Irish Republic is on the front line of the Brexit crisis.  

Tourism, in particular fishing and boat cruising, is the town's biggest industry, drawing in visitors from Europe and from all around Ireland both north and south.

During the Troubles, tourism in Belturbet was in decline, but since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ended the conflict, things have been looking up.  

Investment in tourism infrastructure rose - including the construction of a new marina - drawing in visitors keen to explore the region known for its scenic lakes and rivers.  

But with Brexit looming locals are worried that the tourism industry could be badly affected.  

Cruising company ABC Boats has a base at Belturbet and another one over the border at Aghinver in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Just outside Belturbet, the Erne River marks the border itself, with one river bank in Northern Ireland and the other in the Republic of Ireland, illustrating the complexity of the issue which has stalled Brexit.

ABC's Sean Greenan, who manages the Belturbet Marina, says he's worried that European visitors in particular will stay away if Brexit results in new border controls.

"Our…majority of our customers come from…from Europe. So you have, you have German, eh Austrian, Switzerland, you know that's…that's ninety percent of our customers em, what way are they going to react? This is what we need to ask ourselves. What way are they going to react looking at coming to Ireland after Brexit?"  

The removal of the militarised border in 1998 increased cross border trade and fuelled economic growth which has benefited people both north and south.

The Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge marking the border just outside the town has become a potent symbol of north/south co-operation.

Opened in 1999 as a replacement for another bridge which was blown up during the Troubles, today cars and trucks travel across the border without hindrance.

The only way to tell that you have crossed the border is road markings which change on the bridge from white in Northern Ireland to yellow in the Republic of Ireland.

If a new border is constructed this marks the spot where locals fear security infrastructure will reappear stifling cross border co-operation.   

35 kilometres up river from Belturbet is Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,  which is also heavily reliant on tourism.   

Most visitors to Enniskillen travel up from the Republic of Ireland and locals are concerned that that could be jeopardised by Brexit.

Terry McCartney is the Managing Director of the Belmore Court & Motel, one of the largest hotels in the town.

"People flying into Ireland mostly fly into Dublin. Eh once they get into Dublin if they want to come north they have to hire a car. Will there be a border? Will there not be a border? Will they be able to bring their car across the border? Will they need a visa to come across the border? So those are all issues in terms of guests and residents em. But on top of that then we also have the issue of workers em. We have a number of jobs which are filled mainly by people who work…or who come from outside the UK and Ireland. After Brexit will those people be able to stay? Will be be able to get additional people to do those important jobs in in the accommodation sector? So em those are big issues for us and definitely very uncertain."

Back on the River Erne linking Belturbet and Enniskillen, life continues on at its leisurely pace, at least for now.

It's the years of uncertainty surrounding Brexit that have been the the biggest problem facing businesses like ABC Boats, says manager Sean Greenan.

"What we need as a company here, and what our clients need - knowledge. We need to know what's going to happen next year. We're going to want to need to know what's going to happen the following year. And at the end of the day we've got to deal with whatever that is. But we've got to know. You can't deal with anything until you know about it."

Protecting the many gains made under the Good Friday Agreement and avoiding the return of a hard border are the most important things going forward, says Brendan Fey a local politician and pub owner.

"I believed that we were going to be an economic island - cross border, health, electricity, phones, everything. It has thrown everything up now, we have to get back to that. People talk about a united Ireland - I would just park that, that's not important just at the moment. The important thing is that we don't have borders anywhere on this island."   

The UK is due to leave the European Union on October 31st.  The British government is currently still trying to thrash out a deal with the European Union ahead or the EU summit on October 17-18.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland, October 9th 2019.

1. Wide aerial of town. ++MUTE++

2. Wide aerial of town and boats on river. ++MUTE++

3. Wide low-level aerial of boats on river. ++MUTE++

4. Close up zoom in of engraved plaque reading (English): "This project has been part financed by the EU special support programme for Peace and Reconciliation."  

5. Wide pan of passing cruise boat.

6. Wide tilt from water turbulence at back of boat to river.

7. Wide frontal view of cruise boat.

8. Close up of boat driver's face seen through windscreen.

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Greenan, ABC Boats Marina Manager, The Marina Belturbet.

"Our…majority of our customers come from…from Europe. So you have, you have German, eh Austrian, Switzerland, you know that's…that's ninety percent of our customers em, what way are they going to react? This is what we need to ask ourselves. What way are they going to react looking at coming to Ireland after Brexit?"  

10. Wide of road with passing traffic.

11. Medium of sign: 'Reject Brexit - Hard Border, Job Losses, Food Shortages.'

12. Medium of sign: 'Hard Border? Soft Border? No Border !'

13. Wide of bridge with passing traffic.

14. Close up of engraved plaque: 'Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge, Aghalane" - which sits on the border

15. Close up pan from white line on road to yellow line on road marking 'border' between Ireland and Northern Ireland

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland - October 10th 2019.

16. Wide aerial of town. ++MUTE++

17. Wide of town main street with traffic.

18. Medium of pedestrians.

19. Wide of hotel and cars on road.

20. Close up of British flag.

21. Medium of sign: 'Belmore Court & Motel'.

22. Medium pan of man entering hotel reception.

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Terry McCartney, Managing Director, Belmore Court & Motel.  

"People flying into Ireland mostly fly into Dublin. Eh once they get into Dublin if they want to come north they have to hire a car. Will there be a border ? Will there not be a border? Will they be able to bring their car across the border? Will they need a visa to come across the border? So those are all issues in terms of guests and residents em. But on top of that then we also have the issue of workers em. We have a number of jobs which are filled mainly by people who work…or who come from outside the UK and Ireland. After Brexit will those people be able to stay? Will be be able to get additional people to do those important jobs in in the accommodation sector? So em those are big issues for us and definitely very uncertain."

24. Wide pan of cruise boats.

25. Medium of fisherman.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland, October 9th 2019.

26. Wide frontal view of cruise boat.

27. Medium of boat driver seen from below.

28. Close up of speedometer.

29. Close up pan of man's face.

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Greenan, ABC Boats Marina Manager, The Marina Belturbet.

"What we need as a company here, and what our clients need - knowledge. We need to know what's going to happen next year. We're going to want to need to know what's going to happen the following year. And at the end of the day we've got to deal with whatever that is. But we've got to know. You can't deal with anything until you know about it."

31. Medium of Brendan Fey standing on riverbank jetty.

32. SOUNDBITE (English), Brendan Fey, Cavan Country Councillor and pub owner.     

"I believed that we were going to be an economic island - cross border, health, electricity, phones, everything. It has thrown everything up now, we have to get back to that. People talk about a united Ireland - I would just park that, that's not important just at the moment. The important thing is that we don't have borders anywhere on this island."   

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Archive  : Lough Erne, Enniskillen - 28 May 2013

33. Various of lake with cruise boats

34. Sunshine reflected on water

35. Cruiser on the water

36. Police speed boat on patrol

POOL

Archive : Lough Erne, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland - June 2013

37. Aerial tilt down of area around Lough Erne to Lough Erne Resort Hotel

LEAD IN:

With Brexit looming, fears are growing that border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic could become a reality.  

If that happens among the worst affected industries in the border areas will be tourism which relies heavily on ease of travel between the two jurisdictions.   

STORY-LINE:

Just four kilometres (2.5 miles) south of the border with Northern Ireland, Belturbet in Co. Cavan in the Irish Republic is on the front line of the Brexit crisis.  

Tourism, in particular fishing and boat cruising, is the town's biggest industry, drawing in visitors from Europe and from all around Ireland both north and south.

During the Troubles, tourism in Belturbet was in decline, but since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ended the conflict, things have been looking up.  

Investment in tourism infrastructure rose - including the construction of a new marina - drawing in visitors keen to explore the region known for its scenic lakes and rivers.  

But with Brexit looming locals are worried that the tourism industry could be badly affected.  

Cruising company ABC Boats has a base at Belturbet and another one over the border at Aghinver in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Just outside Belturbet, the Erne River marks the border itself, with one river bank in Northern Ireland and the other in the Republic of Ireland, illustrating the complexity of the issue which has stalled Brexit.

ABC's Sean Greenan, who manages the Belturbet Marina, says he's worried that European visitors in particular will stay away if Brexit results in new border controls.

"Our…majority of our customers come from…from Europe. So you have, you have German, eh Austrian, Switzerland, you know that's…that's ninety percent of our customers em, what way are they going to react? This is what we need to ask ourselves. What way are they going to react looking at coming to Ireland after Brexit?"  

The removal of the militarised border in 1998 increased cross border trade and fuelled economic growth which has benefited people both north and south.

The Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge marking the border just outside the town has become a potent symbol of north/south co-operation.

Opened in 1999 as a replacement for another bridge which was blown up during the Troubles, today cars and trucks travel across the border without hindrance.

The only way to tell that you have crossed the border is road markings which change on the bridge from white in Northern Ireland to yellow in the Republic of Ireland.

If a new border is constructed this marks the spot where locals fear security infrastructure will reappear stifling cross border co-operation.   

35 kilometres up river from Belturbet is Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,  which is also heavily reliant on tourism.   

Most visitors to Enniskillen travel up from the Republic of Ireland and locals are concerned that that could be jeopardised by Brexit.

Terry McCartney is the Managing Director of the Belmore Court & Motel, one of the largest hotels in the town.

"People flying into Ireland mostly fly into Dublin. Eh once they get into Dublin if they want to come north they have to hire a car. Will there be a border? Will there not be a border? Will they be able to bring their car across the border? Will they need a visa to come across the border? So those are all issues in terms of guests and residents em. But on top of that then we also have the issue of workers em. We have a number of jobs which are filled mainly by people who work…or who come from outside the UK and Ireland. After Brexit will those people be able to stay? Will be be able to get additional people to do those important jobs in in the accommodation sector? So em those are big issues for us and definitely very uncertain."

Back on the River Erne linking Belturbet and Enniskillen, life continues on at its leisurely pace, at least for now.

It's the years of uncertainty surrounding Brexit that have been the the biggest problem facing businesses like ABC Boats, says manager Sean Greenan.

"What we need as a company here, and what our clients need - knowledge. We need to know what's going to happen next year. We're going to want to need to know what's going to happen the following year. And at the end of the day we've got to deal with whatever that is. But we've got to know. You can't deal with anything until you know about it."

Protecting the many gains made under the Good Friday Agreement and avoiding the return of a hard border are the most important things going forward, says Brendan Fey a local politician and pub owner.

"I believed that we were going to be an economic island - cross border, health, electricity, phones, everything. It has thrown everything up now, we have to get back to that. People talk about a united Ireland - I would just park that, that's not important just at the moment. The important thing is that we don't have borders anywhere on this island."   

The UK is due to leave the European Union on October 31st.  The British government is currently still trying to thrash out a deal with the European Union ahead or the EU summit on October 17-18.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland, October 9th 2019.

1. Wide aerial of town. ++MUTE++

2. Wide aerial of town and boats on river. ++MUTE++

3. Wide low-level aerial of boats on river. ++MUTE++

4. Close up zoom in of engraved plaque reading (English): "This project has been part financed by the EU special support programme for Peace and Reconciliation."  

5. Wide pan of passing cruise boat.

6. Wide tilt from water turbulence at back of boat to river.

7. Wide frontal view of cruise boat.

8. Close up of boat driver's face seen through windscreen.

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Greenan, ABC Boats Marina Manager, The Marina Belturbet.

"Our…majority of our customers come from…from Europe. So you have, you have German, eh Austrian, Switzerland, you know that's…that's ninety percent of our customers em, what way are they going to react? This is what we need to ask ourselves. What way are they going to react looking at coming to Ireland after Brexit?"  

10. Wide of road with passing traffic.

11. Medium of sign: 'Reject Brexit - Hard Border, Job Losses, Food Shortages.'

12. Medium of sign: 'Hard Border? Soft Border? No Border !'

13. Wide of bridge with passing traffic.

14. Close up of engraved plaque: 'Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge, Aghalane" - which sits on the border

15. Close up pan from white line on road to yellow line on road marking 'border' between Ireland and Northern Ireland

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland - October 10th 2019.

16. Wide aerial of town. ++MUTE++

17. Wide of town main street with traffic.

18. Medium of pedestrians.

19. Wide of hotel and cars on road.

20. Close up of British flag.

21. Medium of sign: 'Belmore Court & Motel'.

22. Medium pan of man entering hotel reception.

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Terry McCartney, Managing Director, Belmore Court & Motel.  

"People flying into Ireland mostly fly into Dublin. Eh once they get into Dublin if they want to come north they have to hire a car. Will there be a border ? Will there not be a border? Will they be able to bring their car across the border? Will they need a visa to come across the border? So those are all issues in terms of guests and residents em. But on top of that then we also have the issue of workers em. We have a number of jobs which are filled mainly by people who work…or who come from outside the UK and Ireland. After Brexit will those people be able to stay? Will be be able to get additional people to do those important jobs in in the accommodation sector? So em those are big issues for us and definitely very uncertain."

24. Wide pan of cruise boats.

25. Medium of fisherman.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland, October 9th 2019.

26. Wide frontal view of cruise boat.

27. Medium of boat driver seen from below.

28. Close up of speedometer.

29. Close up pan of man's face.

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Greenan, ABC Boats Marina Manager, The Marina Belturbet.

"What we need as a company here, and what our clients need - knowledge. We need to know what's going to happen next year. We're going to want to need to know what's going to happen the following year. And at the end of the day we've got to deal with whatever that is. But we've got to know. You can't deal with anything until you know about it."

31. Medium of Brendan Fey standing on riverbank jetty.

32. SOUNDBITE (English), Brendan Fey, Cavan Country Councillor and pub owner.     

"I believed that we were going to be an economic island - cross border, health, electricity, phones, everything. It has thrown everything up now, we have to get back to that. People talk about a united Ireland - I would just park that, that's not important just at the moment. The important thing is that we don't have borders anywhere on this island."   

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Archive  : Lough Erne, Enniskillen - 28 May 2013

33. Various of lake with cruise boats

34. Sunshine reflected on water

35. Cruiser on the water

36. Police speed boat on patrol

POOL

Archive : Lough Erne, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland - June 2013

37. Aerial tilt down of area around Lough Erne to Lough Erne Resort Hotel

President Emmanuel Macron pledged Saturday to protect European farming standards and culinary traditions threatened by aggressive foreign trade practices that see food as a "product like any other."

Macron's speech at his country's premier agriculture fair was aimed at assuaging French farmers' anger at government policies seen as favouring urban elites and neglecting the heartland cherished for producing famed cheeses and wines.

Europe's "civilisation of eating well, of gastronomy, of the art of living" is now threatened by world powers that pursue aggressive trade policies and "consider food a product like any other," without taking into account environmental, health or culinary concerns, Macron said.

He spoke amid European Union talks on its next agricultural aid plan, a major source of funding for French farmers.

He appealed for unity at those talks and argued against calls to re-nationalise French farming policy.

Macron is trying to tackle the concerns head-on by spending all day Saturday at the Salon d'Agriculture in Paris, where farmers showcase their livestock, food and wines.

He is meeting with dairy farmers, pork producers, vintners and others.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 23 February 2019

1. French President Emmanuel Macron at farm fair surrounded by media

AP via AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

Paris - 23 February 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"European agriculture remains today the world's first power. European agriculture guarantees safe and healthy food to all the people, European agriculture proudly promotes a civilisation of eating well, of gastronomy, of the art of living."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 23 February 2019

3. French President Emmanuel Macron at farm fair surrounded by media

AP via AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

Paris - 23 February 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"European agriculture is now threatened from the outside, by world powers that do not hesitate in pursuing aggressive strategies to impose their norms and standards, by the international order because it considers that food, a product like any other, ended up losing its soul. European agriculture is also threatened from the inside, by those using the pretext that the CAP (Common Agricultural Police adopted by the EU) would be imperfect or is not their priority and would want to re-nationalise it."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 23 February 2019

5. French President Emmanuel Macron at farm fair surrounded by media

AP via AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

Paris - 23 February 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

(on French fishermen being threatened by Brexit)

"In this context, we will defend our fishermen and their interests. We will defend all our sectors with strength against the changes we have to suffer. But, more broadly, we will defend all our farmers thanks to a protective Europe."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 23 February 2019

7. French President Emmanuel Macron at farm fair

AP via AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

Paris - 23 February 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"In agriculture, just like in many other areas, we must invent a new global deal. Yes, we must be on the defensive, carrying out a deep reform of trade policies. I said so a few months ago while speaking at the OCDE (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development): those thirty year-old policies have become outdated."

9. Wide Macron at press conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 23 February 2019

10. French President Emmanuel Macron at farm fair