Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----something better is found to replace it in the context of the new EU-UK agreement. The EU 27 will decide at the June Council meeting whether or not real and meaningful progress has been made. As things stand, I must say it has not. What was produced last week from London was a small step in the right direction: it was welcome but as I said earlier it is at best a partial solution to part of the problem and therefore does not constitute real and meaningful progress in my view. We will therefore need to see more from London, from the United Kingdom, in the next two weeks as we head into the Council meeting.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to say that progress is being made. That brings into question whether it will be possible to agree a withdrawal agreement by the October deadline. As everyone appreciates, this is a difficult negotiation. It often feels as though the United Kingdom is negotiating with itself more than with us, which makes matters rather tricky. The upside is that the European Union is totally united, with all 27 member states standing together behind the task force, whose members are our agents, in support of our shared objectives. It is from that position of strength that we will get the outcome we want.

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