Taoiseach Micheál Martin appealed on Thursday for a deal to be made between the European Union and the United Kingdom, insisting that there was a way forward for an agreement to be reached.
But his Government colleague Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said a trade deal appeared “off the table” because of perceptions around sovereignty and independence by “people in London.”
Mr Martin told journalists as he entered a meeting of fellow EU leaders in Brussels: "I think the overall interests of the people of Europe it's very important from my view that a deal is reached,"
“I think the key to unlocking this is to stand back and look at the overall picture here. Ninety seven per cent of this is agreed. Are we saying that we’re going to lose out on a deal because of the three per cent?
“Notwithstanding the significance of the issue, the bottom line is that a hell of a lot of work has been done, a lot of agreement has been reached on quite a lot of this, so in my view one final effort is required here. There will obviously be a need for compromise at the end of the day.”
“UK standards and EU standards align on a lot of issues... I think there is a way through that in terms of the issues as seen by both sides. It is one that in my view can be negotiated.”
Mr Coveney said a commitment to ensuring free and fair competition between the EU and the UK represents the biggest stumbling block to agreeing a deal on Brexit.
The minister claimed the EU was “absolutely reasonable” in insisting that there had to be free and fair competition between the parties in recognition that there were significant privileges that came with barrier-free access to the EU single market.
Mr Coveney said retaining such access was surely a huge priority for the UK with many people who voted for Brexit also still wanting strong economic and trading connectivity with the EU as it was in Britain’s own interest.
He stressed that there was no issue over British sovereignty in the debate but a trade deal appeared “off the table” because of perceptions around sovereignty and independence by “people in London.”
“That’s the frustration for the EU. The EU’s position has remained absolutely consistent throughout this process,” said Mr Coveney.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne show, he said the EU's insistence on an agreement on free and fair competition was "not an unreasonable ask".
The minister welcomed the publication by the European Commission of contingency plans in the event of a "no deal" Brexit which he said provided clarity about what businesses might need to put in place.
He said the plans were “a pragmatic response” which would ensure “bare bones connectivity”, although he acknowledged the failure to reach a deal would result in enormous disruption to trade between the EU and the UK.
Mr Coveney said he believed Mr Johnson wanted to agree a deal on Brexit but accepted the gaps between the two sides remained very wide.
“I think it makes sense for him politically and it certainly makes sense for the UK economically,” he added.
However, Mr Coveney said it remained a problem that no compromises had been made at the meeting between Mr Johnson and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday.
Reality check
On the same programme, DUP East Antrim MP, Sammy Wilson, said EU negotiators need a “reality check” by recognising the Brexit referendum was about the UK “taking back control, not having Europe interfere any longer in our laws and being free to decide how we spend our money.”
Mr Wilson said he had low expectations about the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, and did not rule out that there would be a "last minute capitulation" by the Tory leader.
The DUP politician denied that he wanted a “no-deal” Brexit but said any deal needed to reflect the view of the British people “rather than the demands of the EU”.
He claimed EU negotiators seemed to believe they could “still plunder British waters and have a right to the fish in those waters” and make laws that could still apply to Britain.
“When you’re faced with those kinds of arrogant demands from the other side, then there’s only one response you can have and that is to say we’re not going to do a deal on those terms”, said Mr Wilson.
He claimed people in the Republic needed to realise that a no-deal Brexit would cause considerable damage for their economy and ask whether they should be dictated to by people like the French president, Emmanuel Macron who was conducting his own political agenda.
Mr Wilson said the suggestion of the re-introduction of a border between the Republic and Northern Ireland was always "a red herring" in the debate on Brexit as the Irish government never had any intention of reintroducing border controls.
Asked if he still supported Brexit given it would effectively result in a border on the Irish Sea, Mr Wilson said he believed it was “the right thing” but expressed regret that British negotiators had compromised in talks with their EU counterparts.
He also criticised “a whole host of siren voices” from various trade groups in Northern Ireland who “reinforced the propaganda that came from the EU.”
Mr Wilson said the current arrangements which will allow some movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Britain without checks on paperwork represented “a second best solution”.
Glimmer of hope
Earlier, Ireland’s EU Commissioner, Mairéad McGuinness said there was a “glimmer of hope” that a deal on Brexit could still be done following a crunch meeting between EU and British political leaders in Brussels on Wednesday but believed talks would “go to the wire”.
Ms McGuinness, the EU’s Commissioner for Financial Stability, said the fact that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated following her meeting with British prime minister, Boris Johnson that both sides had a clear understanding of each other’s position, despite being far apart on key issues, helped to clarify the “fault lines”.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, Ms McGuinness said the instruction to ask negotiators to immediately resume talks about a possible deal represented “a glimmer of hope”.
“I think there will be a renewed effort by the negotiators to try and bridge what are very significant gaps,” said Ms McGuinness.
However, she accepted that both sides were no more certain there would be a conclusion to a possible Brexit deal following the meeting.
She said the Commission never had great expectations that Wednesday’s talks would deliver a breakthrough but said the outcome was better that a statement suggesting there would be no deal.
Ms McGuinness said the issue of standards remains the biggest issue between the two parties and was “becoming quite emotive on the UK side” by suggesting they were being forced by the EU to stick with EU rules.
However, Ms McGuinness said on practical a level she expected British farms exporting to the EU would want to meet those standards to ensure continued access to such markets.
“If you take some of the heat out of this discussion and look at the practical implications for businesses and individuals, I think on balance a deal and an agreement is must more important particularly in the eleventh hour,” she added.
Ms McGuinness said she did not believe the EU and the UK were engaging in a “blame game” although she acknowledged that could still happen.
Welcoming the UK’s reversal of its stance on the withdrawal agreement as an international treaty which it would honour, Ms McGuinness said it could help in creating a mood towards a trade agreement.
