EU, UK could resolve N.Ireland trade issues by year-end, Ireland says

Ireland's foreign minister said it is possible that Britain and the European Union could resolve their long running post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland by the end of the year if both sides are willing to compromise.

Talks recently resumed for the first time in seven months on the Northern Ireland protocol, the part of the Brexit deal that mandated checks on some goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom due to its open land border with EU member Ireland.

"The EU has said on a number of occasions they would like to have these issues resolved by the end of the year and I think it's possible to do that if there is a political appetite on both sides to make that happen," Coveney told reporters on Wednesday.