On January 9, Vice President Šefčovič met with Foreign Secretary Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Heaton-Harris in London. They took stock of their efforts to identify collaborative solutions to the problems expressed by Northern Ireland companies and communities. The meeting was friendly and productive.
They emphasised the EU and UK’s shared commitment to uphold the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in its entirety, while also safeguarding the integrity of the EU Single Market and the UK internal market.
They agreed that, although a number of crucial problems must be addressed before moving further, an agreement was made today on the particular subject of EU access to UK IT systems.
They observed that this approach was crucial to establishing confidence and giving assurance, and it established a fresh foundation for EU-UK conversations.
On the basis of this restored understanding, EU and UK technical teams will work quickly to explore the possibility for solutions in several sectors, and the Foreign Secretary, Northern Ireland Secretary, and Vice President Šefčovič will take stock of progress on January 16.