EU

Von der Leyen says final Brexit deal on Northern Ireland is ‘within reach’

The president of the European Commission gave a landmark speech to the joint houses of the Oireachtas

Ursula Von Der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Ireland has benefited from the European Union’s “ironclad solidarity” on Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol and a solution is now “within reach”, Ursula Von Der Leyen has said in speech to the joint houses of the Oireachtas.

As well as addressing the fallout of Brexit on Ireland, the president of the European Commission used her speech to raise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on Ireland, while calling for continued solidarity from the ...