The prospect of power-sharing being restored in Northern Ireland will be decided by a series of discussions at Stormont this week.
Politicians given a mandate in the Assembly elections on 2 March have until next Monday to reach agreement on the formation of a new power-sharing Executive.
If no deal is in place by next week, the British government will have to decide if it is prepared to introduce legislation in Westminster to extend the talks deadline.
The announcement of a date for the triggering of Article 50 in relation to Brexit gives additional importance to to Stormont negotiations.
Since the Assembly elections, several rounds of discussions have taken place involving Northern Ireland's political parties and representatives of the British and Irish governments.
None of the main players has argued against the restoration of power-sharing.
But from today, the pace is likely to change.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is back from St Patrick's Day events in Washington and will join the party's leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, in the talks.
How Sinn Féin handles the mandate it received in the elections, in discussions with the Democratic Unionist Party, will be crucial.
There are signs that two of the smaller parties, the SDLP and Alliance, are open to the idea of participating in government, if the circumstances are right.
With the Ulster Unionists, they opted for an opposition role in the last administration.
New legislation will be needed from the British government if the 27 March deadline for a deal is to change.
