Seeking Northern Ireland solution, UK foreign minister hosts EU talks

British foreign minister James Cleverly on Monday (9 January) tried to give momentum to EU talks on resolving trade disputes post-Brexit when he hosted Maros Sefcovic, vice president of the European Commission in London.

Britain and EU countries are increasingly optimistic that there will be a solution to the long-running dispute, which has dominated their relations since the United Kingdom left three years ago.

Officials resumed technical talks in October regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol. This is the section of the Brexit deal that requires checks on certain goods coming to Northern Ireland from the rest.

Although Monday's meeting between politicians was unlikely to bring about an immediate breakthrough in negotiations, there is hope that the latest talks will provide an impetus for further progress over the next few weeks.

According to the UK foreign ministry, the talks were held at Lancaster House. Chris Heaton-Harris, Northern Ireland minister, took part.

Although the Northern Ireland protocol was an integral part of the Brexit agreement, it was rejected by successive UK prime ministers.

Britain, as part of its exit from the EU, agreed to leave Northern Ireland in the bloc's single marketplace for goods. This was to maintain the peace agreement and avoid a hard border between Ireland & Northern Ireland.

This has led to checks starting in January 2021 for goods from the rest of Britain.

The British government, however, has attempted to reduce many trade barriers since the protocol was in effect. This led to accusations by the EU that it was trying to reverse the protocol.

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