The Taoiseach said the Northern Ireland Protocol talks are “inching towards a conclusion” but there is still a gap.
Speaking in Galway, Mr Leo Varadkar said an agreement was likely to be reached in the coming days, but warned there were no guarantees.
Talks between the UK and the European Union are gathering pace this weekend as both sides seek to reach an agreement on post-Brexit trade deals for Northern Ireland, reports RTE.
“Certainly the deal isn’t done yet. But I do think we are inching towards conclusion and I really want to thank the UK government and the European Commission and the Northern Ireland parties for the level of engagement that they’ve done in recent months to get us to this point,” the Taoiseach said, reports RTE.
The Taoiseach said he did not want to say anything that could jeopardize the process but an agreement was likely in the next few days.
The BBC reports that a planned visit to the UK by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – which was expected to include a meeting with King Charles – has been canceled for operational reasons unrelated to the political talks.
AP news agency reports that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will continue to work to secure a post-Brexit deal after plans for a personal meeting with von der Leyen were cancelled.
After “positive” discussions with Sunak yesterday, von der Leyen was due to arrive for further talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
British government sources confirmed Ms von der Leyen was no longer traveling to the UK.
Some reports suggested Downing Street expected she would shake hands on a revised agreement during the visit, while Sky News reported she was also due to meet King Charles at Windsor Castle.
The report said the meeting could be interpreted by King Charles as “endorsing the deal” that Sunak is attempting to negotiate with the EU to resolve Brexit-related issues.
British government sources said Ms von der Leyen’s trip was no longer underway, but it would not be inappropriate for King Charles, as head of state, to meet the visiting European leader.
“It would be wrong to suggest the King would be involved in anything remotely political,” a source said, reports RTE.
Buckingham Palace said it would not comment.
Downing Street said there would be further talks between Sunak and von der Leyen in the coming days, without giving an exact timeline.
Unusually, Downing Street has refused to reveal Sunak’s plans for the weekend.
The protocol, signed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, was designed to prevent a hard border in Ireland after Brexit, effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market.
But the treaty angered unionists because of the trade barriers it created between Northern Ireland and Britain.
Mr Sunak was reportedly keen to announce a deal this week, but Downing Street said yesterday that “intensive negotiations” were still underway with Brussels.
According to The Times, the current proposal on the table would mean a revised protocol that would eliminate almost all checks and most of the paperwork on goods crossing the Irish Sea.
Any announcement of a deal should raise a potential clash with conservative Brexit hardliners.
The DUP has issued seven tests to win its support for any deal, including a “democratic deficit” of Northern Ireland, subject to EU rules.
The Daily Telegraph, which reported that a breakthrough could be found over the weekend, said it was understood the DUP would be given a seat at the negotiating table when new EU laws to be implemented in Northern Ireland were written.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers would not sign an agreement on the protocol until the DUP’s concerns were addressed.
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