EU official warns Britain post-Brexit trade 'intrinsically linked' to settling NI Protocol
The EU is being as 'flexible as possible' on Northern Ireland protocol negotiations, a top European official has said.
But European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic issued a trade warning to the UK.
Mr Sefcovic again said he welcomed the change in tone of talks last week, but emphasised Europe's post-Brexit trade deal with the UK is "intrinsically linked" to settling the Protocol.
UK and EU Brexit negotiators are meeting again in Brussels to take stock of their negotiations on the Protocol. However, before discussions between Lord Frost and Mr Sefcovic got underway in Brussels on Friday morning, the European Commissioner addressed an online event of the Brexit Institute at Dublin City University.
During his short speech, Mr Sefcovic said the EU understood there were some "unintended consequences" in how it was affected businesses in Northern Ireland.
But he added the EU was "attentive to all the issues" and was being as "flexible as possible" and "working hard to find solutions".
The protocol was put in place to prevent a hard border with Ireland by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods - but that meant checks on products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. He added: "Settling the divorce has always been and remains a precondition for our future relationship. It was on this basis that we negotiated, concluded and ratified the trade and co-operation agreement on Christmas Eve last year.
Lord Frost's and Mr Sefcovic's Friday meetings have become a regular appointment since the new discussions to try to solve some of the issues with how the Protocol is operating began last month.
The technical talks between the UK and EU in the last week have focused on the movement of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, as well as on customs checks. Mr Sefcovic told the DCU online conference that the EU's package of proposals on the Protocol last month commits to finding a solution for the movement of medicines between GB and NI, as well as cutting 80% of agri-food checks and 50% of customs paperwork.
He said the Protocol makes "Northern Ireland a unique place to invest", with "unfettered access to two markets".
Meanwhile the the Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has urged the two sides to "knuckle down" and resolve their issues over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements. He cautioned the UK against taking the step of triggering Article 16, which would suspend parts of the arrangements.
Negotiations on the Brexit trade deal a year ago stretched until 24 December, and the Taoiseach said: “don’t leave it to Christmas Eve this year”. On Thursday, Lord Frost told peers that the option of using Article 16 remained on the table despite speculation a deal was within reach.