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Taoiseach Micheál Martin will join other EU leaders in Brussels this afternoon for a two-day summit where they will assess the prospects for a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations.
It will be the first time in almost a year that EU leaders will participate in a detailed debate on the future EU-UK relationship.
It comes amid growing pessimism about the prospects for early breakthrough on the toughest pitfalls, including fishing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last month that if there was no agreement at this summit, the UK could withdraw.
Last night, Downing Street expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in recent weeks following a phone call between Johnson and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
The outstanding issues remain fishing, the so-called level playing field and governance, or how disputes between the two parties will be resolved.
Ireland and other coastal states have opposed leaving fishing as the last stand alone issue.
That seems to have now been reflected in recent pronouncements by the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who has said that EU fishing communities cannot simply be pushed aside to reach a trade deal.
Indeed, there are some suggestions that the EU could link fisheries with other areas of the future relationship that are also highlighted, such as financial services and energy.
Either way, fishing is becoming an extremely difficult political issue for both parties. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to make a strong statement on the issue at dinner tonight.
You are facing an election in less than two years and you will not want to face the wrath of French fishermen who may have lost access to valuable fishing stocks in UK waters.
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