Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will not speak in French as it is not as polished as the Ceann Comhairle's. I want to say bonjour,Mr. Barnier, and welcome him to our Parliament, Dáil Éireann, on behalf of the Rural Independent Group.

This is a landmark occasion for this country as we, together with our European Union colleagues, enter negotiations on the UK's exit from the EU. These negotiations are as profound to Ireland today as those when we applied to join the European Economic Community almost 50 years ago. For Ireland, disentangling from our closest neighbour will be more difficult than for any other member state due to our common border and our common economic and cultural connections. Mr. Barnier's presence here today is a tangible recognition of the unique difficulties we face.

Our main concerns relate to the still delicate nature of the peace process underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement, the nature of the border between the UK and the EU on this island, the close trading relationships between Ireland and the UK and the free passage of people, goods and services. These are all critical to Ireland.

Our farmers tell us that Brexit presents the most serious economic threat to our agricultural sector, such is the large percentage of our high-quality exports which go to the UK. Border tariffs and customs, border checks and regulatory changes will cause serious restrictions on these exports. The negotiators must make every effort to secure favourable trading relationships between Ireland and the UK to avoid direct negative impact on our farm incomes. We must also find alternative markets in Europe and beyond for these goods and we request that Mr. Barnier assist us in that regard.

As we will have a new land border with the EU, this needs special attention from Mr. Barnier in his negotiations with the UK. Ireland needs to know what this future border will look like in every scenario of British withdrawal. Economics may well dictate if a united Ireland will be the best option for all on this island. Only time will tell. We are a resourceful people and we must not be sacrificed to a hard Brexit because of our geography or because of our small size. Brexit makes us think of new opportunities and new potentials and there are new potentials in relation to developing our maritime and deep-sea ports. For instance, we have the asset of a number of uncongested deep-sea ports in the Shannon Estuary which should act as a trans-shipment location for the distribution of goods throughout Europe and should offer freight and cargo companies shipping to the United States preclearance facilities similar to those enjoyed by air passengers flying from Shannon.

From a Brexit point of view, this is an opportunity to attract industry from right across Europe which is exporting into the United States and would benefit companies throughout the region. United, we will negotiate the best strategy for both the EU and the UK. There is nothing to be gained by making life difficult for everybody. After all, the UK will still be our nearest neighbour after these negotiations have been completed.

We must appeal to people's hopes and not to their fears, and in adversity there is also opportunity. A united Europe can deliver a more prosperous Union where Ireland plays a prominent role.

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