The EU and the United Kingdom continue the "intense work" for an agreement that unlocks the Northern Irish protocol

Sunak meets in Belfast with the main parties to inform them of the progress in the negotiations

BRUSELAS, 17 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Union and the United Kingdom continue the "intensive work" to reach an agreement that satisfies both parties and allows unblocking the application of the protocol for Northern Ireland that they negotiated as part of Brexit but that London refuses to apply.

"Constructive meeting with Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. We discussed the work in progress and to find a solution," the British Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, wrote on social networks, who traveled to the European capital this Friday to take stock of the vice president of the European Commission responsible for relations with the United Kingdom.

"The intense work continues," stressed the diplomat, with whom the EU chief negotiator is more in tune than with the British envoys of previous governments. British sources consulted by Europa Press stress that "the commitment to find practical solutions" is maintained for both parties.

For his part, Sefcovic evoked the "constructive commitment" and the "good progress" achieved in recent months, while stressing that London and Brussels have a "clear shared objective", which involves common solutions that "respond to the daily concerns of the people of Northern Ireland".

"The hard work continues," the community vice president concluded, in a message released along with several images of the meeting with Cleverly in Brussels, in which both appear smiling.

Once the lunch between Sefcovic and Cleverly had concluded, the community representative met in a restricted format with the ambassadors of the member states in Brussels to inform them of the status of the talks.

Within the framework of the divorce agreements, the European Union and the British Government agreed that after the breakup a series of controls should be carried out and other conditions imposed on the passage of goods from the rest of Great Britain to the Northern Irish province, with the aim that Northern Ireland could remain part of the Single Market without reintroducing a guarded border in Ulster.

The Government of Boris Johnson decided unilaterally to break with the application of the protocol for Northern Ireland, alleging that it seriously harmed its interests, a step that the EU denounced before the Court of Justice of the EU, considering that it is a breach of a Treaty international.

With the replacement at the head of Downing Street, contacts have improved in the tone between the parties and in the progress, even announcing the first points of agreement on elements such as extending the flexibility in the controls of veterinary medicines.

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has traveled to Belfast to personally inform the main Northern Irish parties of the progress in the negotiations with the European Union, "significant" according to the version offered after the meeting by the leader of the republican Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald.

The British media are speculating about an imminent agreement - sources quoted by the BBC point out that it could arrive next week - but the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a detractor of the aforementioned protocol, has already warned that it will only abide by an agreement that it considers "correct".

"Clearly, it's a great time," stressed DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. He expects all parties to do "everything possible" to resolve outstanding differences and ultimately "to be able to restore the institutions" in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has been without an effective government since elections on May 5, which for the first time put Sinn Féin ahead of the main union party. The consensus between the two to establish a coalition is also key to the validity of the 1998 peace agreements.