The EU's ambassador to London stoked the row over Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, hitting back at claims it had done “demonstrable harm” to everyone in Northern Ireland.
New DUP leader Edwin Poots slammed the deal's Northern Ireland protocol over the weekend, saying it was having a "devastating impact".
But EU envoy Joao Vale de Almeida said Mr Poots' claims lack "adherence to reality."
He said: "The EU is politically, financially and emotionally, I would say, committed to peace and prosperity for everybody in Northern Ireland.
“The protocol is not the problem, Brexit created the problem in Northern Ireland."
The protocol was drawn up to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's customs union for goods.
But the plan has caused disruption at Irish Sea ports due to the need for checks on goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Lord Frost, the UK’s Brexit negotiator, flew to Northern Ireland today to met with business and community leaders and hear about the problems they still face from how the deal is working.
Mr Almeida added: "The protocol is a joint endeavour of the UK and the European Union, it is British law, European law, international law. There is no alternative to the protocol.
“Even those that criticise the protocol do not present an alternative which is compatible with the terms of Brexit so the protocol is the solution, we need to implement it and we want to implement it with pragmatism."
Meanwhile, thousands of British expats in four EU countries have been warned they could lose their residency rights if they miss a 30 day application deadline.
UK nationals who live in France, Malta, Latvia and Luxembourg have until June 30 to apply for a new residence status after Brexit.
But an estimated 49,000 in France alone have not yet done so, according to a report produced at the end of April by a UK/EU joint committee.
Across the EU in general, it is estimated that 298,000 UK nationals and their family members need to apply - but more than 100,000 had notion so by April 26.
