(Brussels) “We had difficult discussions over the past days”. The European Commission’s Chief Negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, spoke at a press conference about the agreement that has just been reached with the UK government, which will now need approval from the European Council and from the UK and European Parliaments. “We have managed to find solutions that fully respect the integrity of the Single Market. We created – he went on to say – a new and legally operative solution to avoid a hard border, and protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland. It is a solution that works for the EU, for the UK and for people and businesses in Northern Ireland”. According to a statement from the Commission, “the revised Protocol provides a legally operational solution that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, protects the all-island economy and the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in all its dimensions and safeguards the integrity of the Single Market. All other elements of the Withdrawal Agreement remain unchanged in substance, as per the agreement reached on 14 November 2018”. The agreement covers several areas: citizens’ rights, the financial settlement (money the UK has to pay into the EU budget), Protocols on Gibraltar and Cyprus.