There is a lack of political will to deliver solutions to the issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium has said.
Aodhán Connolly added that it is frustrating when the solutions are visible.
Mr Connolly is to meet the European Union's chief negotiator on Brexit, Maroš Šefčovič, along with other Northern Ireland stakeholders to hear about the latest developments.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he acknowledged that while some progress has been made made amid the "opinion-pieced diplomacy", both sides remain far apart.
"What we will be saying to the Vice President is that his papers are good and there is progress made but there is still much to do.
"There is a need to remove enough friction to keep that cost down and keep availability for consumers in Northern Ireland," he said.
"Really what we are asking for is one final push to get an agreed solution that removes friction GB to NI and allows us to keep that choice and affordability for Northern Ireland households."
Read more: Latest Brexit stories
He said they have had an "awful lot of last minute deals" with Brexit and they are not looking forward to another Christmas of this.
The UK seems to be using the threats around Article 16 for leverage, Mr Connolly said, but added that all it is doing is causing instability in the Northern Ireland business community.
Mr Connolly also said a lot of people are too focused on tariffs.
"The real problem is non-tariff barriers and extra customs checks with delays that affect supply chains, costs...That will be felt throughout GB as well as NI and that is something that can happen almost overnight if the French and Dutch and Belgians decide that is going to happen," he said.
No one wants to see it to escalate into a trade war as it is the consumers who end up paying the cost, he said.
"However we do need to see that agreed solution and have people get back around the table," Mr Connolly added.
