Brexit: 'Change of tone' in NI Protocol talks, says Mícheál Martin
- Published
The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) has said there has been a change of tone in the the EU-UK negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Mícheál Martin told the Dáil (Irish parliament) that he felt UK negotiators had indicated they want a resolution.
The taoiseach said he believed political parties in NI want to remain part of the European Single Market.
His comments came as the Irish foreign minister said protocol issues could be resolved "before Christmas".
Simon Coveney said that was the EU's hope but "we'll see" by the weekend if that's "realistic or not".
He was speaking in Brussels after a meeting with European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.
Mr Šefčovič is due to meet the UK Brexit Minister Lord Frost on Friday.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not detect that the government was stepping back from acting on the protocol
Lord Frost is meeting DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in Belfast and will meet other parties on Wednesday.
Sir Jeffrey told BBC News NI that he did "not detect that the government is resiling from a commitment to trigger Article 16 or take other decisive action to restore Northern Ireland's place fully within the UK internal market if talks fail to reach an outcome in a short period of time".
However he added he would "test" that position further in his meeting with Lord Frost.
UUP leader Doug Beattie said he was not expecting "any big announcements" from the Brexit minister.
"I am going to make it clear that what we need here in Northern Ireland is stability," he said.
"The protocol was a bad deal and it needs to be replaced," he added.
Mr Beattie said the issues of trade, medicines and the democratic deficit must be resolved.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal that prevents a hard Irish border by keeping Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods.
That also creates a new trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, something the EU accepts is causing difficulties for many businesses.
It has proposed a package of reforms but the UK is seeking more fundamental changes.
Goods arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK are now subject to checks and control
The UK is threatening to use Article 16 of the protocol, which allows for unilateral "safeguard" measures if the deal is leading to serious practical problems or causing diversion of trade.
Those safeguards would amount to suspending parts of the deal, something the EU believes would be unjustified.
On Monday Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We would rather find a negotiated solution to the problems created by the Northern Ireland Protocol, and that still seems possible.
"But if we do invoke Article 16 - which by the way is a perfectly legitimate part of that protocol - we will do so reasonably and appropriately."
Mr Coveney said some problems could be solved quickly while others will take "a little longer".
But he added there was "no doubt that if both sides wanted to... we could get these issues resolved before Christmas".
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