EU chief 'confident' on Northern Ireland deal if UK shows political will

The president of the European Union’s executive branch expressed confidence that there would be a deal reached with the United Kingdom on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The European Commission leader added that a deal could be reached if London showed political will.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that she was confident that a deal could be made with the United Kingdom over the post-Brexit trade arrangement with Northern Ireland. Von der Leyen said a positive conclusion could be reached on the deal if London showed political will.

“We have always shown flexibility, we will always have a constructive approach to these issues,” said von der Leyen ahead of her meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin. “If there is the political will in the UK, I am very confident that we can reach a positive conclusion.”

In remarks to the Irish parliament, von der Leyen said that her contacts with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had been encouraging and that a workable solution could be agreed upon. The bloc’s Brexit chief Maros Sefcovic also said that the EU was ready to increase its efforts in finding joint solutions after a phone conversation with British foreign secretary James Cleverly.

Cleverly said the UK was committed to finding a “durable solution.”

Talks between the EU and the UK resumed in October for the first time in seven months on the Northern Ireland Protocol, a provision in the Brexit deal that mandated checks on some goods going to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Last week, the British government said it would set the budget for Northern Ireland as the region is experiencing a political deadlock leaving it without a functioning government.

“We recognize the public in Northern Ireland must be protected in future by bringing the public finances under control so it is with significant regret that I am now setting a Northern Ireland Budget,” said the British government’s Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris in a statement.

“I have a clear message to the parties: If they disagree with my budget, they should restore the executive to consider and revise the departmental position I have set out,” said Heaton-Harris.