"how does the EU think they're going to avoid this fate by ordering the UK to put the border down the Irish Sea instead"
I'm confused as to why you think the EU is ordering the UK to do anything.
The EU has said that any withdrawal deal between the EU and the UK will have to deal with the Good Friday Agreement, and how the UK is going to uphold its part of the agreement. They have suggested a method by which they believe this might be achieved, and asked the UK to make alternative suggestions.
The UK can absolutely force them to create that hard border - but at such a massive cost to the UK that hopefully it's not realistic for the UK to do that. The EU is, so far as I can tell, assuming that a No Deal Brexit is so catastrophic that the UK will have to cave on this.
no subject
I'm confused as to why you think the EU is ordering the UK to do anything.
The EU has said that any withdrawal deal between the EU and the UK will have to deal with the Good Friday Agreement, and how the UK is going to uphold its part of the agreement. They have suggested a method by which they believe this might be achieved, and asked the UK to make alternative suggestions.
The UK can absolutely force them to create that hard border - but at such a massive cost to the UK that hopefully it's not realistic for the UK to do that. The EU is, so far as I can tell, assuming that a No Deal Brexit is so catastrophic that the UK will have to cave on this.