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The Northern Ireland Protocol is not going to be scrapped, the Irish Government has said.<\/p>\nThe Northern Ireland Protocol is not going to be scrapped, the Irish Government has said.<\/p>\n
Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster says the measure designed to keep the Irish land border open should be replaced, but Dublin is focused on easing problems with the post-Brexit trade deal which have caused disruption at Irish Sea ports.<\/p>\n
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said: \u201cWe need to be truthful with everybody \u2013 the protocol is not going to be scrapped.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said ministers wanted to be helpful and flexibilities were possible, but the problems were a consequence of the UK\u2019s Brexit negotiating stance.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney told the BBC\u2019s Radio Ulster: \u201cThere is not going to be very dramatic change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Physical inspections on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain, which are required under the protocol, have been suspended amid threats and intimidation of staff.<\/p>\n
Police have insisted there is no evidence that loyalist paramilitaries are involved in the campaign, instead blaming disgruntled individuals and small groups.<\/p>\n
UK cabinet office minister Michael Gove and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic held a virtual meeting with Mrs Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill on Wednesday evening, and further discussions are to take place next week between the UK and the EU.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary-Lou McDonald said teething problems needed to be ironed out, telling BBC Radio 4: \u201cWe do not need melodrama.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney advocated a pragmatic approach to solving problems around the protocol and recognized there were genuine issues.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe want the protocol to function in a way that works for everyone, north and south, on the island of Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney said the protocol was a result of Brexit and followed two years of negotiation, adding that options were \u201cnarrowed significantly\u201d in mitigating the impact of Brexit on the island of Ireland.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe EU wanted to share a single market and customs union and that was turned down.\u201d<\/p>\n