UK and EU officials will hold talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol this week, according to the European Commission.
EU Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie told reporters: “Vice-president Sefcovic spoke to (Foreign Secretary) James Cleverly on Friday, they had a good conversation, they both agreed that solutions needed to be found around the protocol.
“There will be technical level talks, discussions, exchanges this week, the details of which of course need to be worked out.
“All I would do is underline from our side that the EU is committed to joint efforts, it’s committed to finding joint solutions, we need to find these solutions to bring predictability, certainty to people in Northern Ireland.
“And I think in general, if you look back, it’s fair to say the EU has always approached these talks constructively and we will continue to do so.”
It comes after a Northern Ireland minister said he is happy to eat humble pie in a bid to improve the broken relationship between Britain and Ireland.
Steve Baker, previously a strident Brexit supporter, said he is “convinced” that a deal can be reached on the Northern Ireland Protocol if negotiations are made in a “spirit of goodwill”.
A former member of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of MPs, Mr Baker apologised over his “ferocious” stance on negotiations with the EU.
He told the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham yesterday that relations with Ireland were not “where they should be”, and added that ministers needed to act with “humility” to restore relationships with the Republic and the EU.
Ireland’s Taoiseach described the apology over his previous stance on Brexit as “honest” and “very helpful”.
Speaking at a shared island event in Dublin Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed the tone of Mr Baker’s comments.
“I welcomed not just his comments, but the tone of his comments,” Mr Martin said. “I think they were honest and very, very helpful.
“And I look forward to continuing engagement with Minister Baker and others within the British government.”
The Taoiseach said he had a “very good engagement” with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss and new Cabinet members on the sad occasion of the funeral of the Queen.
“I met the British Prime Minister and we both articulated a collective sense of the long term desirability of very good relationships between Britain and Ireland and also between the United Kingdom and the European Union and I think those comments are in that context,” he added.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said he is not sure for what reason government colleague Steve Baker was apologising to the EU and Ireland for behaviour during the Brexit process.
The Brexiteer told a Telegraph event at the Conservative conference: “I don’t know specifically what he’s referring to, what behaviour he means, so it’s difficult to know what apology has been given.”
Read more: Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker ‘happy to eat humble pie' to restore UK-Ireland relationship
