{"id":17219,"date":"2020-10-08T12:57:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T16:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=17219"},"modified":"2020-10-09T09:59:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-09T13:59:04","slug":"michel-eu-stands-in-solidarity-with-ireland-over-brexit-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=17219","title":{"rendered":"Michel: EU Stands In Solidarity With Ireland Over Brexit Negotiations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin welcomes the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as he arrives for a press conference at Farmleigh House, Dublin today (Brian Lawless\/PA Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>President of the European Council Charles Michel has said the EU stands in solidarity with Ireland over Brexit negotiations, following his meeting with the Taoiseach today.<\/p>\n

Mr. Michel said Brexit is not just an Irish issue, but also a European one, and added that the coming days will be \u201ccrucial\u201d and a \u201cmoment of truth\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking at Government buildings in Dublin, Mr. Michel said: \u201cMy message is simple: the EU stands in full solidarity with Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is especially true when it comes to the full implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis text has been negotiated for three years, each word, each comma has been debated for hours and hours. It has been modified by both parties. There is simply no question of its full implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Michel said he had been \u201cvery clear\u201d with British prime minister Boris Johnson: \u201cIt\u2019s now for the UK to restore trust and to put all its cards on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EU is doing its utmost to find an agreement with the UK, but not at any cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Michel said \u201csignificant steps\u201d needed to be taken by the EU\u2019s \u201cBritish friends\u201d in the coming days if agreement was to be reached.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coming days are crucial, this is the moment of truth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is only one week to go before the European Council on the 15th and 16th of October.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also speaking after the meeting, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin described the Brexit negotiations as \u201cvery challenging\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr. Martin said: \u201cThere needs to be movement in terms of getting into end-stage negotiations and we feel there\u2019s a lot of work to be done yet on a number of fronts, and it\u2019s quite a challenging task ahead of the negotiators to ensure that an agreement is arrived at.\u201d<\/p>\n

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