The Government is prepared to subsidise direct ferry routes to mainland Europe to ease the movement of goods in a post-Brexit trading environment, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said. Mr Coveney has urged companies to begin testing direct sea routes from next month, anticipating some disruption along the land bridge from January. In the last year a number of direct ferry routes between Ireland and Europe have been announced, as well as additional sailings, although Mr Coveney said demand has not yet shifted from the faster UK land bridge. “We are encouraging companies now to look at direct ferry route options. Mr Coveney said that while progress was evident in other areas of talks, both sides remained “very far apart” on fishing.

Source: The Irish Times October 09, 2020 16:41 UTC