Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I specifically draw the Minister of State's attention to the mandate that the Commission's task force will have. My party understands is that the European Commission task force, led by Mr. Michel Barnier, will receive a mandate from the European Council after the meeting in April allowing it specifically to engage in the so-called "divorce talks". Therefore, we know that they will be prioritising the Border, a potential final settlement bill to the UK and the reciprocity of rights between EU and UK citizens. We also believe that explicitly excluded from that mandate will be the ability to negotiate the future relationship. The best understanding we have is that the task force, if it believes that the so-called "divorce settlement" is going well, will then go back to the European Council and seek a second mandate to begin informal talks.

Fianna Fáil believes that is not in the best interests of Ireland. We are obviously all aware of this two-year ticking clock. We are all aware that uncertainty causes damage, regardless of the outcome. As that clock ticks closer to zero, the longer it takes for informal talks on the future relationship to happen the more uncertainty and fear there will be, the more danger there will be of an EU member state or set of EU member states deciding that it or they are not happy with how the process is working and that as a result, basically the greater the opportunity for the process to go badly wrong. What Fianna Fáil would like is for the Taoiseach and the Government to immediately begin a conversation with the Commission and for the Taoiseach to represent a view at the April Council that Mr. Barnier's task force should be explicitly given both mandates so that the divorce talks can happen at the same time as informal preliminary talks start on the future relationship. Is this something the Minister of State agrees with, that Fine Gael will consider and that the Taoiseach would bring in to those Council talks?

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