Key takeaway from @simoncoveney @JY_LeDrian presser in Paris: Dublin believes that if a Nov summit is to happen then there must be movement by next week at latest, & it must reflect commitments made in Dec & repeated in March.
Irish govt believes London’s confidence in / insistence on a Nov deal is belied by lack of new proposals, although some sources suggest the ingredients are there in the “tunnel” and that breakthru may be presentational as much as anything else.
Coveney & Raab met in London last night for talks ahead of bilateral breakfast with Hunt. Irish officials did not detect any shift in UK position. Coveney described meetings as “frank”. Any deal must be done on work that is ongoing in negotiations & commitments “already made”.
Ireland believes support from France on backstop is solid. Dublin will support French lobbying for EU funding to boost the ports of Calais, Dunkirk, Le Havre & Cherbourg post Brexit, & in turn France will support Irish efforts to have Irish trucks fast-tracked into those ports
Coveney: “We’ve had quite detailed discussions in terms of differentiating Irish trucks from British trucks, eg coming from Dover to Calais...
“Under the right circumstances Irish trucks will not need to be inspected, whereas UK trucks may need to be inspected. We need to work with France to ensure Irish traffic doesn’t get caught up with UK traffic” whether for customs or SPS controls.
