![\"The](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/23C9\/production\/_99116190_irishborder_pa.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTheresa May has arrived in Brussels following overnight talks on the issue of the Irish border.<\/p>\n
The PM and Brexit Secretary David Davis are meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier.<\/p>\n
Details of an agreement are expected to be set out at a joint news conference within the hour.<\/p>\n
If the border question has been settled, talks can move on to the future of trade after Brexit.<\/p>\n
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg was told last night that there were “serious ideas” on the table that the different parties were broadly content with.<\/p>\n
Additional wording is understood to have been added to reassure the DUP, whose opposition on Monday led to talks breaking down.<\/p>\n
The leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, said on Friday she was “pleased” to see changes which mean there is “no red line down the Irish sea”.<\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas tweeted: “We are making progress, but not yet fully there,” adding: “Tonight more than ever, stay tuned.”<\/p>\n
In the early hours of Friday, the prime minister’s chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, tweeted: “Home for 3 hours sleep then back to work”, without offering any further details.<\/p>\n
All sides want progress on the issue ahead of a crucial summit next week, so talks can move on to the future relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has been among the key sticking points in Brexit negotiations.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the DUP – whose support the UK prime minister needs to win key votes in Westminster – objected to draft plans drawn up by the UK and the EU.<\/p>\n
They included aligning regulations in Northern Ireland with those in the Republic so as to avoid border checks.<\/p>\n
The DUP insists it will not accept any agreement in which Northern Ireland was treated differently from the rest of the UK.<\/p>\n
The Republic of Ireland, on the other hand, which is an EU member, wants a guarantee that there will be no hard border between it and Northern Ireland after Brexit.<\/p>\n
The UK, which is due to leave the EU in March 2019, wants to open talks on a new free trade deal as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The EU will only agree to discuss this when it judges that enough progress has been made on the “separation issues” – the “divorce bill”, expat citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland border – that have been the subject of negotiations so far.<\/p>\n
So the UK is trying to settle the Northern Ireland border issue before EU leaders meet next week.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Theresa May has arrived in Brussels following overnight talks on the issue of the Irish border. The PM and Brexit Secretary David Davis are meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier. Details of an agreement are expected to be set out at a joint news conference within the hour. If the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":381156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[3355,591,5514],"yoast_head":"\n