Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

40 years ago, the UK and Ireland joined the European community, embarking on a political experiment that would see the two countries working side by side as equals and good colleagues for decades to come. As a committed and passionate pro-European, I am disappointed by the result of the referendum, but the special relationship between Ireland and the UK is well-recognised by our EU partners and the imperative to preserve the existing high level of co-operation is in all of our interests. It is our duty to uphold and maintain our close relationship with the UK as it embarks down this difficult path, one on which it may not find many allies.

The common travel area pre-dates the existence of the EU going back to 1922. The links between the two jurisdictions have been strengthened in recent years, for example, by the introduction of agreements such as the British-Irish visa scheme, which allows certain third country nationals who require visas to travel to both the UK and Ireland on the one visa. The common travel arrangements were preserved when we joined the EU and the special relationship has been given legal recognition by protocols to the EU treaties.

The EU has also been a key enabler and supporter of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The peace programmes have supported many community initiatives for reconciliation across Northern Ireland over the years. The Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, has made a clear statement that Northern Ireland's interests will be fully reflected in the British Government's negotiating position. However, the eventual departure of the UK from the EU means that the only land border between the EU and the UK will be on the island of Ireland. Normally, a land border of the EU has significant implications for the movement of people and attracts a particular EU regime. However, ours will be geographically isolated from the rest of the EU and in particular will be outside the Schengen area. Therefore, the integrity of the border controls of the Schengen area will not be affected in any way.

It is a priority of the Irish Government to maintain the common travel area. It is clear that the UK share our view that it should be preserved. This afternoon, I spoke to the UK minister of state for security and immigration as a first step in this process. We agreed to have ongoing contact and further detailed discussions which will be necessary, while maintaining our excellent relationship on security issues.

There is a long tradition of bilateral co-operation between An Garda Síochána and its counterparts in the UK. In recent years, a more international dimension has occurred, such as in the drugs trade, but the fact remains that the UK police services continue to be our main partners in a policing context. This operational co-operation will continue. A number of institutions and instruments have been developed to further improve the framework for police and judicial co-operation throughout the EU. The European arrest warrant has replaced the traditional extradition process between EU states and has proven extremely successful. Europol has enhanced police co-operation between the member states and is now a standard part of many investigations with several thousand queries a year going between An Garda Síochána and Europol. These two EU measures have made obvious and practical improvements in the level of police co-operation across Europe. It would be a setback if the UK were to withdraw from these measures.

Across Europe, there is a focus on countering terrorism and particularly on protecting borders from infiltration by terrorists. On a monthly basis, I have been meeting with my counterparts in the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in which the UK has taken a leading role. I cannot see the EU or the UK doing anything that would reduce the existing level of co-operation between the police and judicial authorities.

I believe this result presents an opportunity for the EU to assess its current position and its future. Across Europe, disenchantment with the European project, combined with a perceived lack of democratic accountability, is manifesting itself through increasing support for anti-EU political parties. There is a responsibility on the EU and its member states to determine why this is happening and how it can be addressed. I am a strong and passionate believer in the EU as a force for good. In 1946, it was Mr. Winston Churchill who first spoke of the need "to re-create the European family, or as much of it as we can, and to provide it with a structure under which it can dwell in peace, in safety and in freedom". That vision came to pass in the intervening years. Now all of us who are pro-European have a responsibility to keep that together. The EU began as a peace project by promoting economic co-operation. It became an economic enabler, but more importantly, a social champion. In Ireland, for example, membership of the EU led to real changes for women through the removal of the working ban for married women and the equal pay directive.

I believe that the EU must once again be identified with making people's lives better. In recent years, it has been seen by too many people as a restricting rather than an enabling force, focused on economic theory rather than social progression. That must change and now is the time to begin. There are real challenges in what has happened in the UK and I believe it behoves us all to clearly examine the various issues which led to that result. Obviously, they are particular to the UK, but I believe there are some resonances and we must take note of the messages which are very clearly beginning to emerge from that debate.

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