Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on Friday 17 February welcomed the “constructive engagement” of UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the Northern Ireland protocol, he said on Twitter.
The two men met in Brussels to review the progress of talks to resolve problems with the implementation of the protocol and the cumbersome nature of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“The common goal is clear: common solutions that address people’s daily concerns”, the vice-president added, without however mentioning a final breakthrough. “The hard work continues”.
The British minister welcomed a “constructive meeting”. “The intensive work continues”, he also commented on Twitter.
In the afternoon, the ambassadors of the Member States were briefed by the Vice-President of the Commission on the latest state of play of the discussions.
The Vice-President is said to have confirmed progress with the UK. The meeting was short, a source said, and was mainly aimed at ensuring that everyone is ready to act quickly if and when there is an agreement. But there is no agreement yet and the details have yet to be sealed, the source added. According to British media reports, a final agreement could be reached on 18 February when Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak alongside the Munich Security Conference. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)