Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Nous vous souhaitons bonne chance dans votre travail. Je suis avec les Verts. I am with the all-island Green Party, proud, united, part of the European Green Party and best of mates with our Green Party colleagues in Scotland, England and Wales. We are very glad that in the first phase of these talks, Mr. Barnier has agreed that one of the three conditions we have to work on is the border issues, particular to Ireland and Gibraltar, but we are concerned about our Border issues here. I am glad that is front and centre stage. I have one request about how Mr. Barnier might approach the work that he has to do. As Mr. Barnier said, we are in a unique position that we are very close to Britain. We are closely connected to Whitehall and as a country we are well-regarded in each capital and in every European council, that is my experience. We should use this position, this place we have that is close to Berlin as well as Boston. Let us use this position.

Mr. Barnier said today that one of the things we should seek in these negotiations is ongoing co-operation in innovation, research and particularly on climate change. I agree. We can play a role in this. I ask Mr. Barnier to start straight away, perhaps in informal but flexible, safe space talks, which we can provide here in Ireland, to start working with the British immediately. What are the regulations on which we can agree in order that we make this necessary great climate change leap?What are the digital rights that we have to agree in the information revolution that is taking place? What are the standards in the transport revolution that we need to do to improve our urban system and our quality of life in every way? Those three issues are not contentious. They are some of the critical issues that we will have to get right here. Do not wait until the Brexit bill or all the other citizens' rights are all sorted. Let us start straight away on those areas of co-operation. Doing that will be good for all of Europe. We can test it here, as Mr. Barnier said, in the first phase when we think about the Border relations between Ireland and the UK. That is what is good and strong about the European Union, that is against the race to the bottom, and that will raise all our spirits in the Union and set a future of which we can be proud.

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