Goodbody Stockbrokers has today warned that diplomatic efforts to reach agreement on the issue of the Irish border will hit a peak over the coming days, determining whether "sufficient progress" can be declared at the December European Council summit in two weeks time.

The financial experts say that with money and migrant rights seemingly being parked, the border issue remains the main potential stumbling block.  In a report today, Goodbody warns that Ireland will not want to be seen as the sole blockage to the talks moving on to the next stage.

For this to happen, Goodbody believe Ireland is likely to insist on language that ensures no regulatory divergence in Northern Ireland post-Brexit which presents its own challenges, as evidenced by the DUP's statements overnight.  
   
According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "The Irish government has taken a hard line on the issue in an attempt to exert pressure on the UK. This has, in turn, become the de facto EU position. This is why Donald Tusk's meeting today with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has a special importance. Clearly, Ireland wants the post-Brexit arrangement to be as close the the status quo as possible, with no border infrastructure in particular. That reality has appeared inconsistent to us with the position of the UK in leaving the customs union and single market."

Source: www.businessworld.ie