Hopes of an orderly Brexit are mounting with EU negotiator Michel Barnier signalling an arrangement is close to being agreed ahead of a crunch vote in Westminster later this month.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney told his British counterpart David Lidington in Dublin that the withdrawal agreement and Irish backstop would not be reopened, in a meeting which was described as “constructive”.
However, EU and UK officials are engaging in technical talks teasing out assurances sought by London that reinforce the temporary nature of the Irish backstop.
It is expected that Britain’s attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, will travel to Brussels next week to nail down some wording that may reverse previous legal warnings that Britain could be trapped inside an EU customs union indefinitely if the backstop were to be triggered.
Irish officials are optimistic that a no-deal is now “unlikely”.
Mr Barnier’s comments will add to that sentiment.
Visiting Vienna, Austria, he said: “I don’t feel the need to spend a lot more time on it; we’re working on explanations around the treaty, guarantees, or supplementary assurances, notably on the question of the Irish backstop.”
He said the March 29 Brexit date can be extended but only for a good reason.
A “technical” extension could last until the eve of the European parliamentary election in May, he said, adding that a longer extension would raise the issue of Britons voting in the European election.
Westminster will vote whether to accept British prime minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal on March 12 or to go for an extension in another vote on March 14.
“The duration of any extension would be linked to the question of what to do with the time,” said Mr Barnier. “If it’s to sort out a technical question, it could be a few weeks to go up to the eve of the European elections.”
Meanwhile, UK agriculture minister George Eustice has quit over Ms May’s decision to allow MPs to vote on extending Brexit negotiations beyond the scheduled withdrawal date of March 29.
Mr Eustice said he wanted to return to the backbenches “to be free to participate in the critical debate that will take place in the weeks ahead”.