Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney poses for a photograph in Dublin, Ireland, February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union is trying to provide reassurance on Britain’s exit deal with the bloc but will not reopen the text of the agreement, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Sunday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking changes to her Brexit deal after parliament rejected it due to concerns among many lawmakers that the so-called backstop, an insurance policy to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, could see Britain trapped in the bloc’s customs union long term.

“We can’t reopen the Withdrawal Agreement for that to be renegotiated or changed, and so we are in the space of trying to provide reassurance and clarification for the British parliament to allow them to ratify this deal,” Coveney told Sky News.