Westminster and Dublin have not yet reached a deal on the pressing issue of the Northern Ireland border ahead of a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The lack of agreement threatens to delay the progression of Brexit negotiations to the second phase.
Despite efforts over the weekend to agree a proposal on how to avoid a hard border in Ireland, Irish officials revealed that “there is still a way to go” to achieve a resolution.
UK PM Theresa May will meet Juncker with the UK’s final offer on the three main issues in the first round of Brexit talks – the Irish border, citizens’ rights and the financial settlement.
May had been given the deadline of Monday 4 December to table the offers before a European council summit on 14 December, when EU leaders will decide if ‘sufficient progress’ has been made to proceed to the next phase.
Although the money and citizens’ rights issues have been mostly resolved, the future arrangement with Ireland has remained a significant obstacle because the UK government has yet to offer a firm commitment explaining how it will guarantee avoiding a return to a hard border after Brexit.
For Ireland, and the bloc, the problem has become a potential deal breaker, with Dublin given an effective veto on progress.
Ireland’s Deputy PM Simon Coveney said that Ireland had “no desire” to be a roadblock to progress but said the country wants “concrete” proposals on how a hard border with customs and checks would be avoided.
