EU officials will be stationed permanently in Northern Ireland within weeks in a Brexit climbdown by the UK.
Under a pact agreed yesterday, officers under Brussels’ control will supervise checks on trade that is happening within the UK’s borders.
Starting from January 1, they will oversee checks on some goods being traded from east to west, within the UK, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
EU chiefs say the checks - which the UK agreed to last year - are essential because there’ll be no border between the UK’s Northern Ireland and the EU-member Republic.
In order to avoid a massive border loophole, goods that arrive from Britain to Northern Ireland - but are deemed “at risk” of moving into the EU later on - will need EU customs checks and tariffs.
Those tariffs will then be refunded if the goods stay in Northern Ireland. In return, Northern Ireland itself will effectively be able to trade freely with the EU like it does now.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove agreed the deal yesterday in exchange for dropping the UK’s threat to break international law over Brexit.
Britain had threatened to take control of how the Northern Ireland trading system would work - which would have breached last year’s Brexit deal.
Mr Gove said last night’s new agreement would give Northern Ireland the “best of both worlds” and allow “British bangers” to be traded to Belfast.
But it comes despite Boris Johnson repeatedly saying there’d be no border down the Irish Sea.
DUP Westminster leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned the Telegraph: "We don't see the need for any permanent presence of EU officials in Northern Ireland.
"We obviously are concerned but we will have to see the detail of this agreement when it is published."
Mr Gove insisted the new plan would not create a border down the Irish Sea.
He said it would just mean “minimal additional number of checks on products of animal origin”.
But he admitted there would be EU officials in place to monitor the arrangement.
Mr Gove told BBC Breakfast: “It is the case that there will be some EU officials who we’ll welcome into Northern Ireland to make sure they’re satisfied the processes - which we’re in control of - will be running appropriately.
“But that’s standard when you’ve got trade agreements.
“It’s often the case that you’ll have people from one country going to their trade partner in order to make sure the systems that have been put in place match the agreement that’s been concluded.
“That’s fairly standard practice.”
He told LBC: "I think that they’ll probably come in, travel in, and I suspect that they’ll be, they’ll want to visit the four major ports; Larne, Warrenpoint, Belfast port of course as well and then the port of Foyle in London/Londonderry."
Mr Gove was due to announce more details in the House of Commons at 12.30pm.
UK sources claimed the EU had demanded much more in the form of a “mini embassy”.
The source said: “They withdrew that request. The EU do have the right under the Protocol to supervise processes conducted by UK authorities, which we will of course support, but there will be no mini-embassy, no mission, no building with a flag or brass."
Mr Gove added: “At one stage there were some people in the EU who wanted to sort of mount a political land grab, and say ‘we’re planting a flag and there’s a bit of Northern Ireland that is forever the EU.
“W’ere not in that position now. We were quite clear that we were very keen on pragmatic and friendly business-like co-operation and that’s what we’ve got.”
According to the Telegraph, 90% of goods crossing the Irish Sea won’t have EU tariffs applied.
The EU also reportedly agreed to drop plans that might have blocked the UK giving state aid to any firm with a presence in Northern Ireland.
It comes as Boris Johnson travels to Brussels tonight in a last-ditch bid to reach a Brexit trade deal in time for January.
The Prime Minister will have dinner with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a bid to break a triple deadlock on fishing rights, EU rules and standards and how a deal will be policed.
The row is separate to the Northern Ireland issue, but the UK’s climbdown is being seen as a diplomatic push that may help push trade talks over the line.
Despite the dramatic trip to Brussels tonight, and an EU summit tomorrow, sources have admitted there still be no big announcement tonight.
A UK government source said: “If we can make progress at a political level it may allow [chief negotiator] Lord Frost and his team to resume negotiations over the coming days.
“But we must be realistic that an agreement may not be possible as we will not compromise on reclaiming U.K. sovereignty.”
