THE UK and EU will "find a way" to reach a last-minute Brexit deal, the Republic's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney has predicted.
Speaking last night ahead of a meeting in Brussels with fellow EU foreign ministers, Mr Coveney told RTÉ that despite his sense that a deal was close to being agreed, "nothing would surprise me or shock me about Brexit".
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint weekend statement that "significant differences remain on three critical issues" in agreeing a deal, namely, a "level playing field, governance and fisheries".
Talks between the UK's chief negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier resumed last night, but despite Mr Coveney sensing a deal is close, he admitted that negotiations remain in "a very difficult place".
"I’ve said for some time that’s it’s more likely that we get a deal than not," when asked if he believed agreement was on the cards," he said.
However, he warned that the UK's plan to introduce new legislation this week, the Taxation (Post-Transition Period) Bill, would further undermine the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement and would "be extremely damaging to the prospects of getting a deal".
Mr Coveney warned against "emotive, divisive language" between the two sides, urging them to find "a compromise that we can both live with".
He said: "I think we need to focus less on the threats and more on the detail of how we find an agreement."
"Not having a structured future relationship agreement in place is going to very, very costly and very, very disruptive for the UK and for Ireland.
"I think the negotiating teams and senior politicians will find a way of getting a deal but at the moment we’re in a difficult place as we try to close it out.
"So we need to be ready for either outcome as a country. That’s why the government really is working night and day to try and prepare Ireland for the prospects of no trade deal.
"But I am still hopeful that a deal can be done."
The taoiseach was not quite so upbeat in his assessment of talks.
Micheál Martin said he was not “overly optimistic” about a breakthrough in the Brexit talks, saying he is “50-50” on a deal being reached.
The taoiseach described the talks as on a “knife-edge”.
Mr Martin said it is very important that “common sense prevails” and that a post-Brexit trade deal is reached.
According to the European spokesman for Ireland’s Fine Gael party, there was “decent progress” through the night on fisheries in the post-Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and EU.
Neale Richmond told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I believe there was decent progress through the night over fisheries.”
He added that “there certainly is scope to get an agreement” on the level playing field.
Source say Michel Barnier has told EU ambassadors that there has been no breakthrough on the fisheries question, and that reports to that effect were “completely untrue”
— Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) December 7, 2020
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said he would be meeting with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove to discuss the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.
He tweeted: “I will meet @michaelgove today in Brussels to discuss the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“We are working hard to make sure it is fully operational as of 1 January 2021.”
A spokesman for Mr Gove said: “The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will meet Vice President Sefcovic today in Brussels to discuss issues related to their work as co-chairs of the Withdrawal Agreement joint committee.
“The Withdrawal Agreement joint committee oversees UK and EU implementation, application and interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“The work of the joint committee is separate from the ongoing FTA negotiations.”
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly insisted the UK does “hold all the cards” in trade negotiations with the EU and called on the bloc to make “small but significant concessions”.
He told BBC Breakfast: “Outside the EU we can actually sign trade agreements more quickly with more countries than previously, so we do indeed hold all the cards.
“I think if the EU recognise this they will see that actually making a few small but significant concessions can get this deal done and that will be in their interest and in our interest.”
He declined to confirm whether a breakthrough had been made on fishing policy or not.
