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

There are essentially three different considerations for Ireland on Brexit, the first of which is the progress or non-progress on the future relationship. The first three rounds of negotiations got nowhere. This is hugely frustrating for Michel Barnier. I am sure it is equally frustrating for David Frost as well but when two sides are looking for different outcomes from the same negotiation it is hard to expect progress. As far as I can see, what the UK is looking for is something quite different to what it signed up to in the political declaration only a few months ago. That is the problem. Michel Barnier's mandate is very consistent with that political declaration. For example, in that political declaration there is a section entitled "level playing field", which goes through, in some detail, why an agreement on level playing field issues is required and a governance model to ensure that that functions in the future. The UK is now saying it cannot accept a level playing field at all. It will not even discuss use the term. There is a fundamental issue as to the UK's willingness to follow through on what it has already committed to doing. This is resulting in huge frustration across the European Union. That said, Ireland's only agenda is to try to get an outcome that is good for everybody - the UK, the EU and the island of Ireland as a whole. We want to be trading next year on the basis of new tariffs, no quotas, a fair fisheries agreement and equivalence in terms of standards, cost base and regulation.

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