But he said that “rather than stalling things, we need to intensify negotiations in the period ahead”. The Irish government has conceded that questions concerning the border with Northern Ireland and Scotland will probably not be resolved until October , by which date the UK 's EU withdrawal agreement is set to be finalised . Taoiseach Leo Burke said there had not been " sufficient progress " and negotiations needed to be intensified " in the period ahead " . The EU 's chief negotiator Michel Barnier recently raised the idea of a withdrawal agreement extending to the whole of the UK after the transition period ended in 2020 .
The Irish government has conceded that questions concerning the border with Northern Ireland and Scotland will probably not be resolved until October , by which date the UK 's EU withdrawal agreement is set to be finalised . Taoiseach Leo Burke said there had not been " sufficient progress " and negotiations needed to be intensified " in the period ahead " . The EU 's chief negotiator Michel Barnier recently raised the idea of a withdrawal agreement extending to the whole of the UK after the transition period ended in 2020 .