Talks between the European Union (EU) and the UK are set to resume this afternoon (Thursday, October 6) on issues surrounding Brexit, including the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Discussions had stalled between the UK and EU in February but talks are set to resume between the vice-president of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, and the new UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly today.

The EU launched legal action against the UK in June, when the UK planned to bring a bill altering parts of the protocol that were agreed during the Brexit deal signed at the end of 2020 to parliament.

A grace period had been agreed between the UK and EU on delaying full customs checks at the Northern Ireland border, but the UK government has signaled its intentions to delay imposing full checks, thus breaching the agreement.

The EU Commission is alleging that the UK has:

The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill references four principal legislative changes to the previously agreed Brexit arrangements.

These are:

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, has confirmed that October 28, this year, will be a key date in the evolution of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He inferred that the October date is the deadline that has been set for the calling of new elections in Northern Ireland.

The foreign minister believes that the UK is using the Northern Ireland Protocol legislation, currently making its way through Westminster, as a negotiating ploy during talks with the EU.

He also confirmed the commitment of the European Union to be as flexible as possible, when it comes to the full implementation of the protocol.

However, all future arrangements must be based within a scenario, which sees Northern Ireland remaining inside the EU Single Market for goods, he explained.