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An agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be reached within six to eight weeks according to Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
In an interview on the RTE’s News at One the Minister Coveney said that there is a “landing zone” that can be agreed within the next two months.
“Certainly from an Irish Government perspective we will be working to try to assist that process,” he said.
He stated that the meeting in Kent in the UK between Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic was about setting their personal relationship in a “better place than we’ve seen for a while”.
Mr Coveney believes that in its wake the momentum is there for an agreement to be reached.
“I think there is a real determination to try to bring the outstanding issues that relate to the protocol and its implementation to a close over the next number of weeks and months.”
Everybody is conscious of their responsibility in terms of bringing stability and certainty to Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol beforehand, he said
“I think in people’s minds, really, we would like to have, if possible, these issues resolved by the end of February and so that the elections in Northern Ireland can move ahead without being dominated by the protocol issues right away to polling day.”
Earlier, UK foreign secretary Liz Truss has said there is a “deal to be done” with the European Union over the Northern Ireland protocol.
Following her first meeting with Mr Sefcovic she said they had agreed to hold further talks on January 24th.
However she refused to rule out the possibility the UK could invoke Article 16 - suspending part of the arrangements in the protocol – if they could not agree a way forward.
“We have had constructive talks with the EU. We are now going to going into intensive negotiations to work towards a negotiated solution to sort out these very real issues for the people of Northern Ireland,” she said in a pooled broadcast clip.
“I think there is a deal to be done. I do want to make progress. Clearly if we don’t make sufficient progress we will have to look at the alternatives, but my absolute desire is to get a deal that works for the people of Northern Ireland.”
Ms Truss assumed responsibility for the negotiations with the EU following the resignation of the Brexit minister Lord Frost last month.
The UK government is seeking substantial changes to the protocol – which forms part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement – arguing that it is hampering the free movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and damaging community relations.
In a joint statement, Ms Truss and Mr Sefcovic said: “The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. They agreed that officials would meet next week in intensified talks and that the principals would meet again on January 24th.
“We share a desire for a positive relationship between the EU and the UK underpinned by our shared belief in freedom and democracy.” – Additional reporting by PA