There must be an urgent breakthrough in Brexit talks this week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said on Sunday.
The European Union and Britain are struggling to agree the terms of their future relationship in trade and other areas, ahead of the expiry of Britain's transition deal on December 31st.
"If you want to use sporting parlance, this is move week. We have got to make big progress this week. Hopefully we've got to get the big issues resolved, in principle, this week," Minister Coveney told Sky News.
"This is very difficult but it is also very doable," he said, adding that the negotiators were "running out of time now."
“The consequences of not getting a trade deal and a future relationship deal... before the end of the year, I think is very significant," he added.
No deal
The Minister warned the EU will not ratify a trade deal with the UK if it tries to reintroduce parts of controversial legislation aimed at overriding international law, according to the Irish Times.
This Internal Market Bill, which was overwhelming defeated in the UK's House of Lords late on Monday, would allow ministers to break international law by reneging on parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement reached with the EU last year.
“If the British government is determined to continue with their Internal Market Bill, to reintroduce parts of that Bill that were removed by the House of Lords this week, then I think this is a deal that won’t be ratified by the EU," Minister Coveney said.
"There’s no way the EU would agree to ratify a new agreement if the British government is breaking the existing agreement which is not even 12 months old."
This needs to be a week when things move, when we break through some of these difficult issues
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British environment secretary George Eustice echoed Minister Coveney's sense of urgency on Sunday, separately telling Sky News: "This needs to be a week when things move, when we break through some of these difficult issues and get a resolution and at least have some sort of headlines, if you like, of an agreement."
"Otherwise, it gets quite difficult and we do start to run out of time to implement it."
Talks between Britain and the EU broke off after a week of intense negotiations in London this week that were overshadowed by turmoil in Downing Street, which saw senior aides to British prime minister Boris Johnson resign.
The EU wants a deal by mid-November in order for it to be ratified by the time the transition arrangements expire at the end of the year and the UK leaves the customs union and single market.
