The UK and EU are no nearer to finding an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol despite ongoing talks.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic met in Brussels on Monday to discuss the withdrawal agreement.
Both the UK and EU representatives stressed the need for “durable solutions” to the Protocol after no agreement was met.
The Commission also accused Britain of breaching the withdrawal agreement after its treatment of EU nationals.
The EU Settlement Scheme allowed EU citizens who had arrived in the UK before Brexit and lived there for less than five years to be granted "pre-settled status".
Those who apply have to make a second application within five years or face deportation, a condition that the EU has long contested.
Mr Sefcovic asked for clarity on whether EU citizens with new resident status had those rights guaranteed under the Brexit withdrawal agreement or under UK immigration law.
He also said he had “regret” on the UK position on both issues and said the matters had the potential to place a “question mark” over progress that has been made on citizens’ rights.
It is anticipated engagement will be more low key in the coming weeks and months, with London and Brussels keen to avoid raising tensions amid the forthcoming Assembly election campaign in Northern Ireland.
Afterwards, Ms Truss said unilaterally suspending elements of the Protocol – by triggering the Article 16 mechanism – remained an option for the UK Government, but she said her focus was on finding a negotiated solution with the EU.
“Article 16 is in the Protocol as a safeguard if things aren’t working as they should,” she said.
“But what I want to do is achieve through constructive negotiations the solutions in place to benefit both communities in Northern Ireland.”
Liz Truss and Maros Sefcovic
PA
Asked if there was a deadline for making progress, Mr Sefcovic told a press conference in Brussels that the EU was “not in the business of setting artificial deadlines”.
“With Liz Truss we are determined to keep our eyes on the ball to find durable solutions for the benefit of Northern Ireland,” he said.
Mr Sefcovic added: “My objective remains the same – to provide Northern Ireland and all stakeholders on the ground with stability, predictability and opportunities stemming from the Protocol.
“Ultimately, this is the only way to protect the hard-earned gains of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in all its dimensions, while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and minimising disruptions caused by Brexit without compromising the integrity of the EU’s single market.”
The Protocol has created new economic barriers on trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
