EU-Britain to resume talks on Northern Ireland border issue

Following a standstill of more than six months, the European Union and Britain are resuming talks on the Northern Ireland border issue. Officials from the two sides will meet this week, the EU Commission said on Monday.

Brussels and London continue to be divided on the issue of the Northern Ireland border.

London wants to get rid of the arrangements agreed for the area as part of the Brexit agreements because, it says, they would be unworkable.

Brussels wants to stick to the rules, which need an open border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the monitoring of trade and traffic between Britain and Northern Ireland.

Discussions on the so-called Northern Ireland protocol have been at a standstill since February, but the new British government is seeking a rapprochement of sorts with Brussels.

The British Minister of State in the Northern Ireland Office, Steve Baker, expressed regret last weekend about the hard course taken in the conflict over Northern Ireland.

Speaking at a conference of the Conservative party, Baker said he and others did not “always behave in a way which has encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust us to accept that they have legitimate interests.”

He preached humility and said he could find a negotiated solution.