Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar pledged on Sunday to intensify efforts with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak to restore the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland over the coming months. Varadkar noted that local council elections in May and the annual parade season in July may make reaching an agreement more difficult in the short term.
He stated to RTÉ Radio and Television: "We have made enormous efforts in recent months to reach an agreement on amendments and reforms to the protocol," referring to checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, which have angered many unionists. He added: "The next step now is to engage in talks with the British government and also with the five parties in Northern Ireland to restore the functioning of the institutions, and certainly over the next few weeks I will intensify my communications with Prime Minister Sunak."
