British-EU talks remain challenging and complex says Irish foreign minister

Monday's (9 January) agreement by Britain to share with Brussels live data about Northern Ireland trade was a step toward resolving long-standing issues that have arisen from the Northern Ireland Protocol's trading arrangements.

Martin's remarks follow a similar cautionary note from James Cleverly, British Foreign Secretary. Cleverly said on Wednesday (11 January) that there were still genuine differences between them and it could take some time for them to resolve.

"The issues are very difficult and complex." After talks with Chris Heaton Harris, Britain's Northern Ireland minister Martin said that he was happy with the progress made.

This protocol was created to protect the 1998 peace agreement and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland (EU member Ireland) and Northern Ireland.

It left the region in the bloc's single marketplace for goods. This required checks on products coming from the United Kingdom. This angered pro-British unionists.

Britain has refused many of the checks, and has criticized EU for being too zealous in implementing protocol. It claims that it has caused damage to businesses in the province and exacerbated a political impasse in the region. Brussels said that it was open to flexibility, but refused to rewrite protocol.

Bloomberg reported Thursday (12 January) that Britain and the EU are set to enter an intense phase in negotiations. This "tunnel" is a period of negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Martin answered questions about the report and said that he would not comment on the timelines but that it was important to allow the talks to take place.

Later, Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, stated that both sides hadn't yet entered so-called "tunnel". He cited a Wednesday call with Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission president).

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sonak echoed their words, calling the report "speculation" and repeating Cleverly's reply that Britain wasn't setting deadlines.

The spokesperson said that while we want to address these issues quickly, there are still significant gaps. He also added that "key issues" were not resolved.

Despite the progress made in customs data sharing, London may have difficulty with other issues like the role of European Court of Justice in trade dispute resolution.

Cleverly, Heaton-Harris and Maros Sefcovic will meet today (16 January) in the latest round of diplomacy.

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