Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State for his adroit chairmanship of the delegation and presentation to the various parties. Likewise, I congratulate the secretariat here and all the contact people in Brussels as well as the Commissioner, Mr. Hogan, and the permanent staff there for the tremendous work they did in laying on the programme, co-ordinating it and putting it together. I thank the Minister of State for his hospitality and for his contribution to the process as well.

Several points come to mind. I will go through the initial part of the Minister of State's speech. The question on migration is still live. Sadly, it reflects on the European Union as a whole. We all know that this is something that should have been possible to resolve in a better way, rather than the haphazard way in which it was resolved. It is well and good for people to say we do not want immigrants or people coming ashore and so on. The end product was that thousands of children lost their lives - they were drowned at sea - and many more starved on the way to what they thought was freedom, solace and comfort. Whatever they were coming from, they were not running away from health, happiness and good fortune. They were running for their lives. Sadly, some countries in the Union saw that as a threat. The Union, as a whole, needs to come together to recognise the need for co-ordination in such situations, rather than tempting everyone to put up the razor wire, as it were. I know that countries in the front line are the first in line. However, the Union has to be able to deal with the situation in a humane and amicable way. If it does not, then it will continue to reflect badly.

The future of Europe was referenced and there is no doubt this is timely. We hope that out of all the stress and trauma from migration, Brexit or whatever, a re-definition of the visions of Europe will re-emerge in a meaningful way that will relate to all the people of Europe. These people live in Europe and are members of the European Union. We are not outsiders. We are all part of Europe and the European Union. We need to see a recognition of that in future.

I do not agree with my colleague Senator Terry Leyden in respect of the handling of Brexit. I believe the one-stop-shop is already in place. Only one country has a Brexit Minister and that country is leaving the Union. It would be dangerous to emulate that set-up and have the debate between the country leaving the Union with a specified Minister. There is a serious danger that we could be categorised in the same way and become part and parcel of that exit strategy. I would not advise such an approach.

We were greeted warmly by all the people we met. We should recognise the great understanding of Ireland's unique position as an island off Europe. Logistical issues arise and serious issues arise in so far as our future is concerned. This is the most important time in the history of this State since we joined the European Union. It is up to ourselves to make of it what we want. We were encouraged to set out our stall and our list of requirements, as opposed to demands. Mr. Barnier and Mr. Verhofstadt were vying with each other in respect of how they could be helpful. That is a useful basis from which to operate. There was recognition that we are not an adjunct of our next-door neighbour but an independent state. More important, there was recognition that the European Union recognises the importance of the island of Ireland as an economic and political entity. There was a recognition that it has worked well, that the peace agreement was sacrosanct and that it was part and parcel of our economy, North and South. There was also recognition that we did not opt to leave the Union. The island of Ireland did not opt to leave the Union, although others did. It is not for us to facilitate others. It is for us to do the best we can to facilitate the island of Ireland as an economic entity in the first instance. That has to be borne in mind. I believe it is borne in mind and all the indications we have received from the Minister of State and from everyone else we met was that it would be borne in mind.

It is also important to recognise that we are going to be part of the negotiations. The country and the Taoiseach will be part of the negotiating team on behalf of the European Union. The Minister of State will be part of the process as well. Ireland will be part of the process as one of 27 member states.

As we stand, we have it all to play for. Whatever emerges from the debate taking place in the coming six months or year – things will begin to gel into place at that stage – will have a fundamental and lasting effect on our country and people. There must be recognition that the customs of the island of Ireland are important. We are in a happy position now and we need to retain what we have become accustomed to. We have progressed a long way in this country in the past 30 years, albeit through tough territory and in spite of many obstacles and deviations en route. Everyone made a contribution to the Good Friday Agreement and the good relationship between North and South. That is part and parcel of what must remain at the core of any discussions. I believe that is recognised by everyone. There is no intention of deviating from that.

We realise that we are not the only negotiators as well. There are 26 others and we need to convince them. I believe the Minister of State has done a good job in touring the capitals of Europe and meeting his counterparts to discuss this issue. It is clear that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade have done likewise. In any event, the battle is not over yet. We need to be careful how we concentrate the argument. We need to convince our European colleagues of the importance of the survival of the economic entity of Ireland. Failure to do that would be a failure on the part of the European Union to recognise the integral part we now play in the Union.

Numerous things will happen quickly once Article 50 is triggered. Currency fluctuation will take place rapidly, depending on what is said at a given time and place. That will have a varying effect on our economy on a weekly, if not a daily, basis. We need to do our job well and achieve what we need to achieve, as opposed to what we want to achieve. The fundamentals are in place. That is what we have now. We cannot afford to lose any part of it, especially because we did not initiate this process. We will be part and parcel of what happens as a result of the process. Anyway, we know where we have to go and I know from our discussions with the Minister of State in the course of the meetings and ordinary business that we all recognise that much.