Free Trial

Sefcovic-Truss Talks Coming Up As 'Deadline' For Deal Looms

EU-UK

EU Commission VP Maros Sefcovic and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will hold further talks today intended to reach a deal on alterations to the Northern Ireland protocol that will be acceptable for both sides.

  • The talks come with an unofficial deadline of 21 February looming. That is the day on which the EU-UK Joint Committee under the Withdrawal Agreement meets for the first time since mid-2021, with Northern Ireland's hardline unionst Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in particular demanding changes be made removing customs checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
  • The DUP collapsed the power-sharing executive last week as First Minister Paul Givan resigned in protest of the protocol.
  • Mixed signals emerging, with some UK officials talking up the prospect of a swift deal, while the EU appears more circumspect, instead talking of a quiet period in negotiations for the next few months in the run-up to the 5 May Northern Ireland Assembly elections.

To read the full story

Close

Why MNI

MNI is the leading provider

of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.

Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.