Northern Ireland Protocol talks between the UK and EU are in their end stages, sources tell the BBC
The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU in 2019 to ensure free movement of trade across the Irish land border after BrexitNorthern Ireland Protocol talks are in their end stages, according to two sources with knowledge of negotiations.However, it is also cautioned there are still things to square off to ensure an agreement is sellable - to EU member states as well as the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory MPs.
The European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, who has led EU negotiations, said the talks had been "hard work" but that it was "time well invested".It followed a video call between him, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris. All sides are highly aware that a compromise may prove hard to sell to the DUP or the Conservatives' Brexit hard-line European Research Group , and there are still big question marks over what a potential agreement might look like.
Britain had originally said that the problems with the treaty were "baked in" to the text and therefore it needed a fundamental revision. That suggests he is against signing up to an agreement that deals comprehensively with some issues - such as customs checks - but leaves open others, such as governance.James Cleverly said on Friday that any agreement must address the "full range of challenges"
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