BBC-Member States On Alert For Northern Ireland Protocol Deal

BBC Brussels correspondent Jessica Parker on the prospect of an EU-UK deal on the Northern Ireland protocol (select comments): "The European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic has put member states on alert for a possible deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol at short notice – according to EU diplomats. He gave no timeline however. “It’s unclear if it’s a matter of days or weeks,” said one...Sefcovic has been updating ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. It’s understood that, within a “brief” private session, he reported that there was, as yet, no final deal with “intensive” contacts still underway. [...] But “be ready” was “definitely the vibe” said one diplomat while adding, “The last miles are the hardest.” [...]The ECJ will retain its role as final arbiter of the treaty - Maros Sefcovic was "crystal clear" on that.

• Parker: "Meanwhile, tomorrow’s bilateral between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen & UK PM Rishi Sunak, at the Munich Security Conference, is being described as an “important moment"...People in Brussels are aware of the political challenges facing Mr Sunak in selling any deal. “Is it a concern? Yes certainly,” said one diplomat. “But there’s only so much we can do on that front. That’s very much in the hands of Rishi Sunak.”