Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič held their second meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol and relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU).
Ahead of the meeting with Šefčovič, Truss reaffirmed her intention of negotiating a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol that is acceptable to both sides and protects peace.
Look forward to meeting @MarosSefcovic in Brussels today for further talks on the Protocol.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) January 24, 2022
We must focus on reaching a solution that protects peace and stability in Northern Ireland. pic.twitter.com/kvKQiv5loc
As per the joint statement released by the UK government, the talks took place in a constructive manner and both sides were committed to further discussions by meeting again this week. They also decided that the EU-UK Joint Committee, which oversees the implementation of Brexit, would meet in February. Furthermore, the statement mentioned that both sides reaffirmed their desire to boost the EU-UK partnership based on the shared belief in freedom and democracy and cooperation on shared global challenges.
Following the talks, Šefčovič said both sides could resolve Northern Irish trading challenges through dialogue. “If political goodwill is maintained, our discussions could lead to a timely agreement on durable solutions that would immediately and significantly help operators on the ground,” he said.
At the same, the EU would need guarantees to safeguard its single market, Šefčovič added. When asked about the timeline to accomplish this, he said, “I am not in the business of setting artificial deadlines, but I will act with a sense of urgency.”
Similarly, after concluding the meeting with Šefčovič, Truss stressed that she wants to work with the EU “in short order.” “We’re putting as much resource as we can into making this work and making things happen for the people of Northern Ireland,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney welcomed the talks and said, “We need to show a bit of patience here and allow the negotiating teams to try to advance areas where they can find agreement.” He also added that the upcoming meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee would create a constructive platform for agreement.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was drawn up to protect the Union’s single market amid Britain’s exit from the bloc and avoid maintaining a politically-sensitive hard border between Northern Ireland, which belongs to the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member country. The protocol has created a new border in the Irish sea that has angered the province’s pro-British unionists.
The agreement had led to a rift between the two sides, with the UK trying to renegotiate a new deal for the past six months. Britain has been demanding the removal of customs control on goods being transported from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland. However, the Union says this demand would open a backdoor for British goods entering the bloc’s single market unchecked.