Northern Ireland Protocol a 'little too strict' admits Leo Varadkar
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Leo Varadkar said the protocol was working despite it not being fully implemented, demonstrating there is room for "further flexibility for some changes".
He added that a "window of opportunity" now exists for agreement to be reached between the EU and the UK.
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Hide AdHis remarks come as negotiations between officials on the protocol are due to get under way later today.
The European Commission earlier this week confirmed the two sides will meet for technical level talks.
A meeting between Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is scheduled to take place in London this evening ahead of Mr Coveney co-chairing a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris on Friday.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said: "We should not forget that the protocol is working. It was designed to prevent a hard border between north and south, and there is no hard border between north and south.
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Hide Ad"It was designed to protect the integrity of the single market and it has, and also the Northern Ireland economy is outperforming the rest of the UK economically.
"But one thing that I would concede is that perhaps the protocol, as it was originally designed, was a little too strict.
"The protocol has not been fully implemented and yet it is still working.
"I think that, you know, demonstrates that there is some room for further flexibility for some changes that hopefully would make it acceptable to all sides."
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Hide AdThe protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and sought to avoid a hard border with Ireland post-Brexit.
But the arrangements have created trade barriers on goods being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
The protocol is vehemently opposed by many unionists in Northern Ireland and the DUP is currently blocking the formation of a powersharing executive in Belfast in protest.
Mr Varadkar said an agreement would be "very beneficial" as it would allow for the restoration of powersharing in Northern Ireland.