Brexit to dominate Cabinet agenda as deadline looms

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has labelled this week 'the most important we have had in the Brexit trade negotiations since this time last year.' File picture: Julien Behal

Tuesday's cabinet meeting is expected to be dominated by Brexit as the deadline for Britain's transition period on January 1 draws nearer.

It is understood the Irish Government is concerned about a number of issues as prime minister Boris Johnson intends to push ahead with the controversial Internal Market Bill, with peers due to vote on the legislation this week.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has labelled this week the "most important week we have had in the Brexit trade negotiations since this time last year". 

Mr Coveney told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that "we are really in the endgame now" and big efforts will be "made this week to close this out in a way that both sides can live with".

He is expected to inform the Cabinet of a number of concerns he foresees becoming problems in the near future.

Mr Coveney is said to be increasingly concerned about the timely implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and the progress of these practical preparations which will be needed for the full application of the Protocol on January 1.

British spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), said on Friday that although their government departments have made progress with some of the changes required, "it is still likely that widespread disruption will occur from 1 January 2021".

"Some of this uncertainty could have been avoided, and better preparations made, had the government addressed sooner issues such as the need for an increase in the number of customs agents to support traders," the report said.

Mr Coveney will also update his cabinet colleagues of the fact that a number of Irish sectors are not Brexit-ready. Any potential fallout from these issues are now set to be considerably worse in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator, arrived in London this week for continued crunch talks for a trade agreement between Europe and Britain. The consistent points of negotiation remain in trying to find an agreement on what the EU calls "a level playing field" and fishing rights.

Both parliaments need time to ratify any deal which does not leave much time for London and Brussels to find a compromise on these outstanding issues.