Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, we had hoped to make substantial progress on the Irish backstop issues in June before the summit this week. I think everybody accepted that everything would not conclude in June but we certainly expected to make a significant step forward in helping to ensure that backstop was taking shape and that we could have confidence that we would be able to finalise that arrangement over the summer. That has not happened. If we look at the draft conclusions that are being put to the European Council, they are very strong. They state that the European Council expresses its concern that no substantial progress has yet been achieved on agreeing a backstop solution for Ireland-Northern Ireland. It recalls commitments undertaken by the United Kingdom in this respect in December 2017 and March 2018 and insists on the need for intensified efforts in order that the withdrawal agreement, including its provisions on transition, can be concluded as soon as possible in order to come into effect on the date of withdrawal. I am afraid that because the British Government has not been able to bring forward proposals to fulfil the commitments it made in these negotiations in March and in December, there is an acceptance that we have not managed to make the kind of progress everybody wanted to make in June.

I do not believe threatening to stall the process will help in this regard. As we will not find solutions if people are not sitting around a table, we are encouraging the British Government to intensify its efforts to bring some certainty and clarity as to what it is looking for and is willing to put forward as solutions that can deliver on the commitments they have made in writing. I will be encouraging that in London next week. I understand there will be a meeting in Chequers on 6 July when the Prime Minister will bring her Cabinet together to focus on Brexit again. It is hoped a White Paper will be published in or around that time as well. I hope we will see a real intensification of negotiations post 6 July to allow us get on with providing certainty for businesses, people, the communities living in the Border areas and so on in order that the backstop can start to take shape and we can get confidence into the negotiation that we can get this concluded by the end of October.

See this speech in context