RTE: NI Protocol Talks Could End In Feb As NI Assembly Elections Approach

Tony Connelly at RTE tweets a thread on EU-UK talks on Northern Ireland protocol and comments from EU Commission VP Maros Sefcovic. Select comments below:

• "The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Maros Sefcovic has signalled that the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations with the UK could draw to a close by the end of February if there is no breakthrough.
• This would be because of the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections, campaiging for which is expected to get underway in early March. MEPs believe the EU is reluctant to continue the negotiations during what is expected to be a highly charged election campaign in Northern Ireland
• It’s understood that Ms Truss has signalled she hoped a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be reached by the end of Feb. However, there are concerns on the EU side that the time frame is too short, as London and Brussels remain far apart on issues.
• Mr Sefcovic told MEPs that the EU had made far reaching and concrete proposals on reducing the level of checks and controls on goods, as well as customs formalities. He is said to have told MEPs that the European Commission had offered an “oven-ready deal”.
• Yesterday, MNI publishedMNI: EU Eyes ECJ Proposal In Northern Ireland Talks With UK, examining the prospect of an 'early warning system' to avoid EU-UK disputes being sent to the ECJ.