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Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said he has no doubt over the EU\u2019s willingness to \u201creach an accommodation\u201d over the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\nTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said he has no doubt over the EU\u2019s willingness to \u201creach an accommodation\u201d over the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n
However, he said the UK must be willing to engage in the process and follow through on commitments already made.<\/p>\n
The issue was discussed by EU leaders at a European Council summit taking place on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n
Mr Martin said on Friday: \u201cA deal can be reached. It will take political will and commitment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in absolutely no doubt about the commitment of the European Union as an institution, but also the members and the key members of the European Union, and their desire to reach an accommodation here in relation to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Protocol.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Martin called for proper engagement from the UK, and noted that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had shown a willingness to find solutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a willingness to be pragmatic and flexible on this but the United Kingdom Government has to engage in the process\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy last meeting with Boris Johnson, he was clear he would give this a very strong shot at trying to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in no doubt the willingness is there on the EU side.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EU does need reciprocity, it needs the sense from the UK that it will follow through on its commitments that it\u2019s signed up to, and that it will deliver on those commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tensions over the Protocol in the North remain high, with recently appointed DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson promising to campaign against it.<\/p>\n
He has warned that it is \u201cnot realistic\u201d to expect stability in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Protocol.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said Ireland is listening to those who have real concerns about the Protocol.<\/p>\n
He said he is \u201cmaking the case strongly at an EU level for flexibility and pragmatism\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said that the Irish Government had been advocating for more ambition around sanitary and phytosanitary standards, food standards, veterinary standards and a common approach to that from the UK and the EU.<\/p>\n
He said such an approach \u201ccould reduce significantly\u201d the number of checks required in ports and airports in Northern Ireland on products coming from Britain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to give a message to people in Northern Ireland that despite the frustration that we\u2019ve heard we are trying to work through the issues where there are solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut those solutions require partnership between the British Government and the EU together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney was speaking after a meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference in Dublin on Thursday, where he met Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cHopefully, this week and into next week, if we can get agreement on the chilled meats issue, at least for the temporary extension of that grace period, that can be a catalyst for improved relationships and the building up of trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd allow negotiating teams to try to solve some of these other issues over the summer months, because they need to be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n