PRESIDENT of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is optimistic that Brussels and London will strike a deal on the protocol and she believes Stormont should have a role in the future operation of the post-Brexit trade arrangements.
The Maltese MEP was speaking to The Irish News ahead of a visit to Dublin, where on Thursday she will address a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The president's two-day trip to the Republic comes amid reports that Britain and the EU have struck a customs deal that could pave the way to ending years of post-Brexit wrangling.
It was reported in The Times that Brussels had accepted a proposal that would avoid the need for routine checks on products arriving in the north from Britain.
The paper also claimed that separately the EU had conceded for the first time that the European Court of Justice could rule on issues relating to Northern Ireland, only if a case was referred by the region's courts.
However, within hours of the report's publication, alongside similar speculation in the Financial Times, EU sources were denying that a deal had been struck.
One EU source told RTÉ: "It's not true."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil that there was no deal as yet but that the agreement on customs information the two sides had reached was "very significant and very helpful".
Ms Metsola echoed the Fine Gael leader's sentiments, telling this newspaper: "I am always an optimist and I believe we will (get a deal) – because we need it."
She said the EU’s focus was "on finding joint solutions for real-life concerns in Northern Ireland around the protocol", while also protecting the EU Single Market.
"The approach on data sharing agreed in the beginning of January is a good starting point for continued efforts and I understand that the atmosphere is positive," she said.
The European Parliament president said the EU was committed to engaging with "stakeholders and authorities" in the north and was "actively listening to the experiences and views of everyone".
Asked whether the assembly should have some influence on how the protocol operates, she said: "The involvement of all local stakeholders – civil society and businesses – as well as of the authorities in Northern Ireland is important to ensure predictability, legal certainty and to resolve the remaining issues through the best possible joint solutions."
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry described the report in the Times as "probably highly speculative and selective" but said he believed an outcome to the negotiations was close.
"There is a growing focus on the role of the European Court," he said.
"The key outcome for Northern Ireland is maintaining access to EU Single Market for goods – this entails this region continuing to adhere to certain aspects of EU law," he said.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said any progress in the EU-UK talks was welcome and that he wanted to see a "positive outcome that secures dual market access for local businesses, reduces checks on goods and addresses some of the concerns that have been raised relating to identity".
“The talks clearly aren’t at a political agreement level yet but when that point comes, the grandstanding needs to end," he said.
"People in the north deserve the government they elected in May last year to deal with hospital waiting lists, schools, job creation and the cost of living crisis."
