by Amanda Ferguson
BELFAST (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Northern Irish politicians on Friday that a deal to overhaul post-Brexit trade arrangements was yet to be reached, ending hopes of a resolution in the next days.
Weeks of negotiations between Brussels and London have accelerated the process to change the protocol, agreed trade rules to avoid border checks with EU member Ireland as Britain exits the bloc.
A European diplomat said a deal seemed close but not complete, and a meeting in Brussels on Friday between British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic would help pave the way for a possible quick conclusion. .
The British Prime Minister met the leaders of the five largest Northern Irish political parties on Friday at a hotel in the suburbs of Belfast.
“He said the deal isn’t done yet. I think he (Rishi Sunak) is making it clear that big progress has been made,” Social Democrat party leader Colum Eastwood told reporters. and labor.
The British prime minister offered few details on the potential deal, Colum Eastwood added, a reaction shared by other participants. Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said the meeting did not give him much more information.
Alliance leader Naomi Long, however, said after her party’s meeting that London and Brussels appeared to be “moving gradually” towards a potential deal.
Negotiations have so far been held in confidence, with some key players complaining that they have not seen any details on possible solutions to issues such as the role of the Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ) in Ireland North.
The two parties have already reached an agreement on data sharing. In a bid to reduce checks at Northern Ireland ports, the European Commission has also declared itself open to the idea of ”express lanes” to separate goods destined only for Northern Ireland from products heading to Ireland or other EU countries.
(Reporting by William James and Muvija M; Writing by Padraic Halpin; French version Dagmarah Mackos, editing by Kate Entringer)
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