2 years ago
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By Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,The protocol created a new trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK
The UK's chief Brexit negotiator has said that fixing the Northern Ireland Protocol is an "absolute priority" for her.
Another round of negotiations between Liz Truss and her EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič will take place in London on Friday.
They spoke via video-conference last week, but no breakthrough was reached.
A meeting of the Joint Committee, the formal body overseeing the protocol, will happen on 21 February.
That will be the first such meeting of the committee in more than six months.
The government has insisted it wants to reach a solution urgently, after the collapse of the power-sharing executive at Stormont last week.
Ahead of the meeting, Ms Truss said: "Fixing the Northern Ireland Protocol is an absolute priority for me.
"We have a shared responsibility with the EU to work towards solutions as quickly as possible that deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.
"I look forward to meeting Vice President Šefčovič in person again today."
Liz Truss said she wants to work with the EU towards solutions that deliver for people in Northern Ireland
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeated his view that the government would trigger a mechanism to override part of the deal, if a breakthrough cannot be reached.
Article 16 allows either the UK or EU to temporarily suspend the protocol, if it is deemed to be causing significant economic, societal or environmental difficulties.
The protocol keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods and EU customs rules are enforced at its ports.
That arrangement has prevented a hardening of the Irish land border, but it means new paperwork and processes when importing goods from Great Britain.
Unionist politicians have criticised the arrangements and say the Irish Sea border undermines Northern Ireland's position in the UK as well as causing difficulties for some businesses.
Over the past seven months the UK government has been attempting to renegotiate the deal.
In July, it proposed an arrangement in which goods from Great Britain, which are due to stay in Northern Ireland, would not be checked and would have minimal paperwork.
Goods which are due to move onwards to the Republic of Ireland would be checked at Northern Ireland's ports.
The EU published its own proposals in October, which it said would significantly reduce, but not eliminate, checks on goods.
It has previously said that the easiest way to reduce checks would be for the UK to sign up to a Swiss-style agri-food agreement.
That would involve all of the UK following the relevant EU rules, something the government has said it could not accept.
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