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THE NORTHERN IRELAND Protocol as it was originally designed is a “little too strict”, the Tánaiste has said.
Leo Varadkar said the protocol was working despite it not being fully implemented, demonstrating there is room for “further flexibility for some changes”.
He added that a “window of opportunity” now exists for agreement to be reached between the EU and the UK.
His remarks come as negotiations between officials on the protocol are due to get under way later today.
The European Commission earlier this week confirmed the two sides will meet for technical level talks.
A meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is scheduled to take place in London this evening ahead of Coveney co-chairing a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris on Friday.
Varadkar said: “We should not forget that the protocol is working. It was designed to prevent a hard border between north and south, and there is no hard border between north and south.
“It was designed to protect the integrity of the single market and it has, and also the Northern Ireland economy is outperforming the rest of the UK economically.
“But one thing that I would concede is that perhaps the protocol, as it was originally designed, was a little too strict.
“The protocol has not been fully implemented and yet it is still working.
“I think that, you know, demonstrates that there is some room for further flexibility for some changes that hopefully would make it acceptable to all sides.”
The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and sought to avoid a hard border with Ireland post-Brexit.
But the arrangements have created trade barriers on goods being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
The protocol is vehemently opposed by many unionists in Northern Ireland and the DUP is currently blocking the formation of a powersharing executive in Belfast in protest.
Varadkar said an agreement would be “very beneficial” as it would allow for the restoration of powersharing in the North.
Stormont collapsed earlier this year amid a row over the protocol and has not returned despite elections in May.
Speaking after an industrial relations conference at University College Dublin, Varadkar also told reporters: “There is a window of opportunity now over the next couple of weeks to see if we can come to an agreement on the protocol.
“That would be very beneficial for Ireland and Northern Ireland because it would allow us to get the executive up and running, and could be helpful for Britain as well in economic terms.”
The Tánaiste welcomed the UK’s Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker’s apology over his previous “ferocious” negotiating stance on Brexit but said it would remain to be seen if they would prove to be significant.
Baker, a former strident Brexiteer and member of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of MPs, said relations with Ireland are not “where they should be”, and added that ministers need to act with “humility” to restore relationships with the Republic and the EU.
Varadkar said: “It remains to be seen what the significance of them are, but they are very welcome comments and (I) would agree with the Taoiseach on that.”
Asked about the political instability surrounding British prime minister Liz Truss, he said the Government does not concern itself with the UK’s domestic politics.
“That’s just not the way we operate. Liz Truss is the prime minister, and the British government is the British government, and the European Union, including Ireland will negotiate with them and try and come to an agreement if we can,” he said.
“We won’t concern ourselves about any individual country’s domestic politics.”
Legislation to enable the UK Government to effectively tear up parts of the protocol is to return to Westminster on October 11.
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill has already cleared the House of Commons and will be debated at second reading by the House of Lords, which is expected to consider it at length, next week.
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All of a sudden it’s a “little too strict” what wording has changed.
@Mick McGuinness: a little give on both sides is never a bad thing.
@Tony Harris: i think that all the give has been on one side…. it’s time for the British government to honour it’s legal agreement. If they didn’t read it….or whatever Cummins said….then it’s their problem.
@Tony Harris: that’s the problem, both never give a little
Correct me if I’m wrong…. but wasn’t an agreement reached on this matter a couple of years ago with the British government?
I don’t think that the unionists will accept any protocol of any kind…so perhaps the British government can finally stand up to the unionists…I doubt it though… they never have
@Ronan Skelly: The British didn’t even care to read it properly before they signed up, since they were planning on getting rid of “the bits we don’t like” anyway – as Dominic Cummings later admitted. The Tories were only interested in ‘getting Brexit done’ and then winning the election.
Now strictly the Tories may not deserve it, but Varadkar is taking the opportunity to continue a positive conversation started by UK Minister of State for NI Steve Baker – who recently apologised for not being terribly nice in previous negotiations, and not taking Irish concerns seriously. There could be enough openings in parts of the protocol to get everyone on board. This’ll be difficult but it has to be tried.
@Mick Tobin: i understand that Mick… but reading the comments from the DUP yesterday doesn’t inspire any confidence that the unionists will agree to any protocol whatsoever…. it’s time for the British government to stand up to the minority unionist refusal to accept the majority wish.
If this means changing the veto clause in the GFA then this should be done.
Unfortunately I don’t think that the British government will stand up to unionism…. they never have done so, sadly.
@Ronan Skelly: tinkering with the words won’t make any difference to the DUP as its the border in the Irish Sea is their problem, But by Dublin trying to look flexible with words, might spur Truss to tell the DUP to take a run and jump. time will tell!
@Cobh Rebel Tour Mccarthy: i hope so…. but I doubt it
@Ronan Skelly: actually they did when they agreed the GFA, despite opposition from a large part of Unionist opinion. And they did again, at least initially, with the Protocol, which was voted through the House of Commons despite DUP opposition.
Just recently Truss said there was no reason the NI Assembly shouldn’t be working, so she may just have decided that she wants problems with NI out of the way.
It was signed into Law by the British Government. I’m disgusted to see our own Tánaiste agreeing to another Government breaking the law. He’s done himself untold damage now. There’s no going back for him.
@Margaret Doyle: no difficulty to the same guy. He has form in breaking the law.
And the bending over for the unionists begins
@Mel Finn: is this another one of those “thrown under the bus” posts that have been on the go since the initial Brexit vote? The same ones that have been disproved time and time and time again? Is it? Are you “ one of them”?
That would be the Blueshirts agenda…After all the Unionist parties would be their natural political alliance. Wonder did Varadkar run his comment before consultation with Coveney.
What a Machiavellian, dangerous individual with this remark. He seems to have little knowledge of what work it took to bring this protocol together, and shows little regard for those who worked on the project. Is he trying to disable the process? This is not helpful a helpful declaration.
@Martin O’Reilly: It was him and Boris who did bring it together when the met in The Wirral a few years ago. It’s common sense that a compromise that suits both sides is looked for.
Nothing strict about it, it was agreed on. Nothing has changed only the stance of the British government to honour it.
Not one inch do not budge an inch n this or the tories will take us for an armchair ride.
have your say