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

It is important to note that the negotiations on the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, including the draft protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are between the UK and the European Commission task force acting on behalf of the other 27 EU member states. I and my officials are, of course, in very regular contact with Michel Barnier and his team. I also have regular meetings and conversations with British Ministers which offer the opportunity to discuss the negotiations. I have taken every opportunity to impress upon UK counterparts the importance of the backstop. In my recent meetings or conversations with Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt, David Lidington and Karen Bradley I emphasised that it was the responsibility of the UK to put forward viable and workable proposals for the backstop, and I encouraged the UK to engage constructively on the issue, including on Michel Barnier’s efforts to de-dramatise the backstop, which I believe were very sincere and have made the problem much more manageable. This was also the Taoiseach’s message in his meeting with Prime Minister May in Salzburg on 20 September.

Last month, Prime Minister May announced that the UK would bring forward its own proposals for a backstop arrangement.

The Government welcomed this announcement. We had been calling for a long time for the UK to engage fully with this issue. However, time is short. It is important for these proposals to be shared soon to allow the negotiations to make progress before the October meeting of the European Council. Our preference is for an overall EU-UK relationship which would resolve all issues. However, it remains essential for a legally operable backstop, which provides certainty that a hard border will be avoided in any circumstances, to be agreed. Therefore, it cannot be temporary. It must be in place unless and until another solution is found. This position is supported and shared by our fellow EU member states. When I was in Poland yesterday, I received strong solidarity again, as has been the case in every EU state to which I have travelled.

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