The European Union’s Brexit negotiators believe a divorce deal with Britain is “very close”, diplomatic sources said, in a sign a compromise on the most contentious issue of the future Irish border might be in the making, though details were scarce.
The EU signalled on Thursday it was engaging with new proposals emerging in Britain on how to avoid extensive Irish border checks after Brexit, the key potential deal-breaker in the talks to end four decades of union.
A member of EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier’s team told a briefing with national diplomats in Brussels late on Thursday a divorce deal with Britain was “very close”, according to two sources present.
“We are going in the right direction,” a senior EU diplomat said separately of the work on the Irish fix.