There is a "lot of work to do" and a "big gap" remains between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Brexit minister has said.
Speaking as he arrived in Brussels for talks with his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic, Lord Frost told reporters he was "looking forward to good discussions".
"There's a lot of work to do because there are gaps between us," he said.
Referring to the EU's proposals this week to vastly cut customs checks and paperwork associated with the protocol, Lord Frost added that the bloc has "definitely made an effort in pushing beyond where they typically go in these areas and we're quite encouraged by that".
But he continued: "There is still quite a big gap and that's what we've got to work through today and in the future."
He reiterated the UK's view that the role of the European Court of Justice should be removed from the protocol, saying: "The governance arrangements as we have them don't work.
"We need to take the court out of the system as it is now and we need to find a better way forward."
The talks come days after Lord Frost reiterated a threat to suspend post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland by triggering Article 16 of the Protocol.
The protocol is a key part of the Brexit deal struck between London and Brussels and is designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
As part of the arrangement, Northern Ireland remains under some EU rules and there are checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
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But having negotiated and signed up to the arrangement, the UK has now put forward proposals to change it.
Earlier this week, the EU proposed to cut 80% of checks on some goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and reduce customs paperwork by 50% in an effort to defuse the row over the protocol.
Mr Sefcovic called the proposals "far-reaching" and "ambitious" as he published four papers that officials took to London to begin immediate talks.
But the documents do not address the issue of the ECJ, which under the current agreement is the final arbiter in alleged breaches of the protocol.
Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland on Thursday, Mr Sefcovic said the bloc has stretched itself in making its offer to the UK, but insisted he has no mandate to renegotiate the protocol.
Mr Sefcovic has said the EU has stretched itself to offer far-reaching compromises but insisted he has no mandate to renegotiate the protocol.
"Now we should really do the last mile, work constructively with all the proposals we put on the table, put it finally to bed," he told The View.
"I believe that we could be in the home stretch with our proposals on the table, and, as I said, let's try to solve all these issues before Christmas because I think that would be the best Christmas gift we can give to the people of Northern Ireland."
He added: "I have no mandate to renegotiate the protocol... the withdrawal agreement, protocol and trade and co-operation agreement, we signed it, we ratified it, it's international law, and I think we should respect it."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2JyZXhpdC1sb3JkLWZyb3N0LXNheXMtYS1iaWctZ2FwLXJlbWFpbnMtYmV0d2Vlbi11ay1hbmQtZXUtb3Zlci1ub3J0aGVybi1pcmVsYW5kLXByb3RvY29sLTEyNDM0Mzc50gGBAWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9icmV4aXQtbG9yZC1mcm9zdC1zYXlzLWEtYmlnLWdhcC1yZW1haW5zLWJldHdlZW4tdWstYW5kLWV1LW92ZXItbm9ydGhlcm4taXJlbGFuZC1wcm90b2NvbC0xMjQzNDM3OQ?oc=5
2021-10-15 12:45:00Z
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