European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and UK Minister David Frost had a “constructive” exchange and pledged to continue discussions in Brussels “next week” on the proposals presented by the Commission on 13 October to make the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol more flexible (see EUROPE 12811/14).
The two men, who had lunch together on Friday, did not wish to comment further on the nature of their discussion, due to the tragic event which took place the same day.
On Friday afternoon, British MP David Amess (Tory) was stabbed to death during a constituency meeting in East London, sparking outrage in the UK.
On his arrival in Brussels and before the tragedy, David Frost said his government was “encouraged” by the EU’s proposals, but also warned that “major differences” remained. EUROPE will continue to follow this story. (SP)