DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has welcomed what he described as a “change in tone” from the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol following a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Belfast on Friday.
“I welcome the change in the language being used. People are now solution-focused,” Mr Donaldson said. “They’re now talking about negotiations. All of these things were off the table, even three months ago.”
It follows the commitment by European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefcovic on Thursday that the EU expects to finalise new and far-reaching proposals to break the deadlock around on the protocol by the end of next week.
Mr Martin told reporters at a press conference in Belfast on Friday afternoon he was “in no doubt the EU is in solution mode and will be coming forward with proposals.”
He said the British government was signalling it was also “solution-focussed” and there was a “window of opportunity over the next six weeks to two months to try and get these issues resolved.”
There was “a view that people are in solution mode here, people want to get a solution to this, including the political parties in Northern Ireland,” Mr Martin said.
However, while this meant “one can be hopeful”, he would not “underestimate the challenges” ahead and said the British government and EU “have to get down to really serious discussions on the proposals that will emerge from Europe shortly”.
During his visit to Belfast, Mr Martin met the Northern Executive’s five parties and discussed the protocol and stability of the North’s political institutions.
He described it as a “very fruitful day” covering themes including climate change, which illustrated “the commonality of the challenge to the island of Ireland ... and how climate and biodiversity recognises no border”.
Earlier, Mr Martin spoke at an all-island climate change event hosted by Chambers Ireland and the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
There was “no more significant and common concern for us on this island, and across these islands, than meeting the generational challenge of climate change”, he said.
“So, to be fully effective on climate action, we need joined-up policy approaches and co-ordinated investment on a cross-border basis.”
He said it was “significant that I am sharing this stage with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister”, but it was “also significant that they are here together — jointly — to address this important topic for the people of Northern Ireland and of the whole island.
“It is only through the good functioning of the Northern Ireland Executive that the challenges of climate change and Covid recovery can be met by and for the people of Northern Ireland.” Additional reporting – PA.
