BELFAST (Reuters) – Issues between British and European Union negotiators on seeking to revise post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland remain very challenging and complex despite recent progress, Irish Foreign Minister Michéal Martin said on Thursday.
Britain agreed on Monday a way forward on sharing live data with the EU on trade with Northern Ireland, a step towards resolving longstanding issues arising from the trading arrangements, the so-called Northern Ireland protocol.
Martin’s comments follow a similar note of caution from British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday that there are still genuine differences between the two sides that could take some time to resolve.
“The issues are very challenging and they’re complex, particularly as you get into the weeds. I welcome the progress that has been made,” Martin told reporters after talks with Britain’s Northern Ireland Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the EU and Britain are preparing to enter an intense phase of negotiations – known as the negotiating “tunnel” – as soon as next week, quoting people familiar with the matter.
Asked about the report, Martin said he was not going to comment on the timelines and that it was important to allow the talks space.
Heaton-Harris, who along with Cleverly is due to meet EU Brexit negotiator Maros Sefcovic on Monday, described the report as speculation and said there was still a way to go in the talks.
(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, writing by Padraic Halpin, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)
