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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said that the legal proceedings of the European Commission against the United Kingdom were “expected”.
Martin said the UK “had no illusions” about the strength of the opposition to its unilateral actions, but was “hopeful” that the talks could reach a “more intense phase over the next week”.
He made the remarks after a bilateral meeting with the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels.
The Taoiseach traveled to Belgium to attend a special meeting of the European Council today.
It comes as the EU announced that it will initiate legal proceedings on Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Act, which nullifies key elements of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement related to Northern Ireland.
Martin said: “We support the Commission in its actions.
“It gave the UK one month to respond in relation to the withdrawal of the Internal Market Act and the unilateral action it took in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol.
“I met with the president, she appreciated the decision made by the Commission.
“We also discuss how we will deal with Brexit in the coming weeks.”
Martin said there was “concern” across Europe about unilateral action by the British government on the Northern Ireland protocol and that the UK government needed to “resist” that.
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“At the same time, we are aware of the need to conclude a comprehensive relationship agreement with the United Kingdom that is in the best interest of the people of Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland,” he said.
“A sensible free trade agreement is something we are also looking for.”
While Martin said he was hopeful the conversations would get more intense, he also cautioned that the topics were “very substantive.”
“I think the mood is moving in the right direction towards a better compromise, that is always important in terms of negotiations like this, but there are serious challenges ahead.”
He said it “remains to be seen” how the UK would respond to the EU’s actions.
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