THE key players in the protocol negotiations will meet again later this week amid continued efforts to get a final deal over the line.
Previous speculation that an announcement on an agreement between the EU and UK was due on Tuesday appears to have been premature, with Maros Sefcovic stressing that the "hard work continues".
The European Commission vice-president was speaking on Monday after a video call with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris.
Their meeting came against the background of fresh speculation that President Joe Biden may visit Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Tentative plans for an April visit by the US president are already underway, according to the Irish Examiner, though there has been no official confirmation from the White House.
Mr Sefcovic described the video call as "productive" and said there would another meeting later this week.
"Taking stock of our work to find joint solutions to everyday concerns in Northern Ireland," he tweeted.
"Our top priority is to succeed for the benefit of all communities."
Mr Cleverly said the talks were "focused on finding a durable solution for NI".
"Intensive work continues and we agreed to talk again in the coming days," he said.
In London, Downing Street insisted a final deal had not been struck, as senior Tory Brexiteers stepped up warnings to Rishi Sunak not to give too much ground to the EU.
Conservative former minister Simon Clarke backed a call by Boris Johnson for ministers to press on with legislation enabling them to override parts of the protocol.
The prime minister's official spokesman said the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is currently stalled in the Lords, was "important" in "the absence of a negotiated solution".
Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the bill as "one of the biggest tools that we have in solving the problem on the Irish Sea".
But the long-standing eurosceptic argued that Mr Sunak was right to be "committed to finding a pragmatic solution to resolve these issues".
Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Sunak to give MPs a vote on the deal, reaffirming his offer of Labour support to get it through Westminster.
"I think it should be put to a vote, and I'm very clear to the prime minister I will put the country first and the party second and he should do the same," the Labour leader said.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson accused British government ministers of going into the negotiations with the EU with "an attitude of defeat" and said that he did not expect to see a deal announced this week.
"If a deal is agreed which still keeps us in the EU single market, as ministers in the Northern Ireland Assembly we would be required by law to implement that deal and we are not going to do that because we believe such an arrangement is designed to take us out of the United Kingdom," he told Sky News.
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said if there was to be a deal with the EU then Mr Sunak needed to "follow through and not bend to the extremism".
"In particular any notion that the protocol bill would continue is farcical," he said.
"The UK can't expect to come to an agreement with the EU while reserving the right to break it – trust has been so central to getting us to a brink of a deal. Anything that brings that into question would so destructive."
SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said it was clear the talks were "at an advanced level".
"It is in the best interests of everyone in the north that a deal protecting our unique dual market access that will attract further investment in people and jobs here is secured," he said.
"When a deal comes, every party should approach it with an open mind and an intention to restore devolution and get back to work."
