European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday in Dublin expressed confidence that negotiations with the British government on trade agreements in Northern Ireland after Brexit will be successful, AFP reports.

Speaking in the Irish parliament, the head of the EU welcomed the “new, more pragmatic spirit” surrounding the negotiations with London.

“By using common sense and focusing on the issues that really matter to Northern Ireland, I think we can make progress on the practical issues around the protocol,” she added. But “the consequences of Brexit and the type of Brexit that the UK has chosen cannot be completely eliminated.”

“A viable solution is within reach” if both sides are “sensitive” to the “delicate balance” that needs to be struck, she added, describing her contacts with new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as “encouraging”.

The British province of Northern Ireland is in a political impasse. At the heart of the disagreement is the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed when Great Britain left the European Union.

Northern Ireland has the UK’s only land border with the EU, but it must remain open under the 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of violence.

The protocol keeps Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market, but effectively creates a customs border with the British island, which is unacceptable to Northern Irish unionists who see the deal as a threat to the province’s place in the UK.

“Restoration” of efforts

“There can be no hard border on the island of Ireland,” said Ursula von der Leyen, drawing thunderous applause from Irish parliamentarians and a standing ovation at the end of her speech.

According to her, “Brexit will not be an obstacle to reconciliation in Ireland”, which is torn by a bloody conflict between nationalists who favor reunification and those loyal to the British crown.

After this statement, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin expressed his belief that an agreement is possible. “Like you, we want to see a vital new partnership with the UK delivered if we can resolve the issue of the protocol with the right political will.”

Ursula von der Leyen had already set the tone when she arrived in Dublin at midday, saying she was “very confident” of a positive outcome if Britain had the “political will”.