Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Taoiseach. It is interesting to hear the Taoiseach talk of the conversation with Chancellor Merkel and their discussions about the draft EU negotiations guidelines. The Taoiseach may recall when these were first drafted I warned that the interests of the people of the island, the stability of our political processes, the future of the Good Friday Agreement and the option of Irish unity were not sufficiently reflected in them. At the time, I urged the Taoiseach to ensure the final guidelines were amended to close the gap. That has not happened. Much has been made of the statement in the minutes of the summit that in the event of Irish unity, "in accordance with international law, the entire territory of such a united Ireland would thus be part of the European Union." It is welcome but it is not the coup that has been claimed in some media. It is a very common sense position. It reflects the position of the Good Friday Agreement and what happened with the reunification of Germany and a similar agreement in respect of Cyprus. The Government failed to secure designated special status for the North within the EU. Did the Taoiseach raise the issue? Has he ever asked for the North to be given special designated status within the European Union and that the vote of the people in that part of our island would be upheld? Will the Taoiseach give us a very direct answer to that question? Has he ever asked for special designated status for the North?

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