Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to address the House ahead of the meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 29 April. The meeting has been scheduled following the formal notification by the UK of its intention to leave the EU. As provided for under Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union, it will be a meeting of the 27 EU Heads of State and Government without the UK. We will discuss the EU guidelines for the upcoming negotiations with the UK with a view to their formal adoption.

The Government has been clear from the start that the UK's departure from the Union would and will have significant economic, political and social implications for Ireland. For over two years, even before the UK referendum, we have been examining the issues and engaging with sectors across the island of Ireland to analyse fully our main areas of concern and to develop our negotiating priorities. These are to minimise the impact on our trade and the economy, to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland peace process, including through maintaining an open Border, to continue the common travel area with the UK and to work for a positive future for the European Union.

In my speech to the IlEA on 15 February, I outlined the Government's preparations, including the new structures and resources which have been allocated, the ongoing sectoral analysis and research throughout Government Departments, our engagement with industry and civic society, which has to date included nearly 280 separate meetings, and the all-island civic dialogue, which I convened with the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and which to date has included 16 sectoral events and two plenary meetings with more than 1,200 delegates representing industries and organisations from across the country.

We have also been very active at political and official level in engaging with our EU partners and the EU institutions, raising awareness of the unique circumstances in relation to Ireland and the need to address these in the negotiations. To date, we have had more than 400 engagements with partners, which have also, of course, enabled us to understand better their concerns and objectives. In addition to meeting my EU counterparts regularly at the European Council, I have had bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Spain, Belgium, Cyprus. Malta, Croatia and Poland as well as with the British Prime Minister, Theresa May. Last week, I met Chancellor Merkel again, in Berlin, and next week I will meet the Dutch and the Danish Prime Ministers. I also had separate bilateral meetings recently in Brussels with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. In all these engagements I have expressed my strong view that any manifestation of a hard Border would have very negative consequences for our country and the peace process. This is a political challenge and we will have to be creative and imaginative to deal with it.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs have also had extensive programmes of engagement, while other Ministers have been engaging with their respective counterparts. Engagement at senior official level, including through our permanent representation in Brussels and our network of embassies overseas, has been very extensive. We have also, of course, had opportunities to discuss Brexit with London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast via the long-established connections through the Good Friday Agreement, while clearly respecting the "no negotiation without notification" principle.

Across the board, there is now a good understanding of our unique concerns and an openness to working closely with us in addressing them in the run-up to the negotiations. This was reflected first in the indication from Michel Barnier that Ireland's specific conditions and concerns should be addressed as a priority for the exit negotiations.

On 31 March, the draft EU negotiating guidelines were circulated by President Tusk. I am pleased that these include a very strong acknowledgement of Ireland’s unique circumstances, the need to protect the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, and our intention to maintain bilateral arrangements with the UK, such as the common travel area. There was also a strong reference to our specific concerns in the resolution which was adopted by the European Parliament on 5 April. Prime Minister Theresa May’s letter of 29 March and her statement to the House of Commons the same day reaffirmed the British Government's objective of avoiding a return to a hard Border on the island of Ireland and its commitment to maintaining the common travel area. It is clear therefore that our extensive political, diplomatic and official campaign of recent months has been effective in ensuring that our unique circumstances, our specific issues and our special case are understood and acknowledged. We will continue to defend the Good Friday Agreement in its spirit as well as its letter and to make clear that, as an internationally recognised treaty registered with the UN, it provides a unique political and constitutional framework on the island of Ireland. Whatever happens in the Brexit negotiations, nothing should undermine the peace and stability in Northern Ireland that has taken so long to achieve and in which the EU has played such an important role.

It is important to make clear that there will be at least two sets of negotiations. The first will deal with the UK’s official exit from the EU, covering issues such as the UK’s financial commitments and reciprocal rights – Europeans living in Britain and British people living in the European Union. The second will address the EU’s future relationship with the UK: this will be particularly important for our future trading relationship and any potential implications for our economy.

The UK Government’s White Paper and the Prime Minister Theresa May’s letter and statement on 29 March provided some clarity around the UK’s objectives for the future relationship. These include the pursuit of a bold and ambitious free trade agreement, an outcome that would be in Ireland’s interests. It is in all our interests that the UK should maintain the closest possible links to the EU and I welcome Prime Minister Theresa May’s comment about wanting to have a positive and constructive partnership between the EU and the UK. Knowing more about their intentions will be important as we continue to prepare for the negotiations.

From Ireland’s perspective, it is crucial that the negotiations are conducted in a constructive and orderly way and we will continue to encourage our EU partners and the UK to maintain a calm and balanced approach. We are now studying the draft guidelines carefully in terms of the overall approach to the negotiations and the many other issues that arise, beyond those unique to Ireland. The guidelines will be further discussed among the EU 27 member states at ministerial and senior official level before the European Council on 29 April. Once they have been agreed, negotiating directives for the European Commission will be prepared for adoption by the General Affairs Council in May. Negotiations with the UK are therefore likely to be launched in late May or early June. As Deputies will be aware, the day-to-day technical EU negotiations will be led by Michel Barnier and his team on the basis of the mandate from the European Council. Member states, however, including Ireland, will have control of the process. The European Council, that is leaders of all member states, will discuss the negotiations on a very regular basis and will take all final decisions. Of course, the European Parliament also has to give its consent to the eventual outcome. We are in constant contact with the Barnier team and are participating fully in all the EU 27 structures in preparing for the negotiations. We will be part of the EU team and look forward to working with our fellow member states in delivering the best possible results for Ireland and for the EU. Our priorities have been developed, opportunities are being pursued and risks and mitigation measures are being identified. Now that Article 50 has been triggered, we are preparing a consolidated policy paper which will be published in advance of the European Council on 29 April, and which will set out Ireland’s approach to the negotiations. At the same time we will continue to make the economy resilient and future-proofed. We have already taken important steps in this context, including in Budget 2017, the Action Plan for Jobs 2017 and our new trade and investment strategy. Looking ahead, a new ten year capital plan is in preparation, we are revising our Enterprise 2025 policy and we are in active discussions with the European Investment Bank for a potential increase in investment in the country. Our enterprise agencies will in the meantime continue to work with exporters and potential investors, helping them to deal with issues as they arise, making companies competitive, diversifying market exposure and up-skilling teams. We regularly hear about the importance of this from those involved directly in the agri-sector. We met with the IFA last weekend and will continue to make this area a priority.

We have had some very positive outcomes to our efforts over the past few weeks. However, this is only the beginning of a complicated process which could take years to conclude. Our efforts will continue to involve all Ministers, Government Departments and agencies, extensive engagement with stakeholders and ongoing strong co-ordination from the centre.

Before concluding, I would like to stress that Ireland’s place remains firmly at the heart of Europe. The Union has been central to the success of our small, open economy and the basis for much of the social and political progress we have achieved. We will be very much central to the EU team for the negotiations ahead. We will continue to engage with our partners calmly and patiently and to negotiate firmly but fairly in the best interests of the country and our citizens.

The Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs, Dara Murphy, will deliver a wrap-up statement at the end of this session. I look forward to keeping the House fully informed of developments in relation to Brexit and repeat that the opportunity is open to the leaders of the different parties in the House to have a full up-to-date briefing at any time they wish.

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