Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 23 October 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Update on Brexit Engagement: Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have the free trade agreement that was negotiated last February and Japan is looking to do more trade with the EU. One of our greatest selling points as a country is that we are a committed member of the Union, which gives us a quality of stability and certainty to bring to the table. We are seen as a stable country and a good place in which to do business. Moreover, after Brexit, we will be the only English-speaking country in the EU. We are highlighting those assets, how easy it is to do business in Ireland and our position as a good stepping stone into the rest of Europe. We have enjoyed the full support of our fellow EU member states throughout the Brexit negotiations and that support has been extremely important.

The EU is one of the best things that ever happened to this country and it is clear from surveys that the people are very much in favour of us being part of it. Membership has brought many advantages to us. When I recall the late 1970s and early 1980s, I see that we have come a long way and Europe has certainly helped us in that respect. Our businesses have access to a market of 500 million people. We will continue to step up our engagement with the EU in terms of research and innovation, industry, developing services, the internal market and the digital economy. We play an important role in Europe and we want to be part of shaping its future. There are many advantages to us being in the EU and we enjoy those as well as the support of the other 27 member states. I met Mr. Michel Barnier about two weeks ago and he said he is absolutely committed to ensuring that smaller countries such as Ireland are treated fairly. I am glad he has done that in the agreement.

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