Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have spoken directly with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire, since the campaign in the UK commenced some weeks ago. I assure the Deputy and the House that the avoidance of a hard Border on the island of Ireland and the maintenance of the common travel area are at the core of the Government’s priorities in the EU-UK negotiations. As a symbol of and a dividend from the peace process, an open Border is essential to the social and economic fabric on the island and to the continuing normalisation of relationships that has been facilitated by the Good Friday Agreement. The Government is clear that the withdrawal agreement should create no impediment to the free movement of people on the island and should create no circumstance where the normalisation of peoples' lives that has accompanied the peace process is undermined.

The avoidance of a hard Border on the island of Ireland is a shared objective of the Irish and British Governments and our EU partners. This has been confirmed by Secretary of State Brokenshire and British Prime Minister May on her visit to Dublin earlier this year. It has also been confirmed by the European Council. The EU negotiation guidelines contain a very strong acknowledgement of Ireland’s unique circumstances, including the need to avoid a hard Border on the island of Ireland. The negotiating directives for the task force, adopted by the General Affairs Council on 22 May, fully reflect this acknowledgement. The European Parliament has also recognised the need to avoid a hard Border on the island of Ireland in a resolution supported by virtually all the main European political groups.

The UK Government notification letter, which formally triggered Article 50, placed a strong emphasis on the "unique relationship" between these two islands. The letter confirmed that the UK Government wishes to avoid a return to a hard Border, to maintain the common travel area and to uphold the Good Friday Agreement. As laid out in the negotiating guidelines, the avoidance of a hard Border will require flexibility and creativity on the part of both the United Kingdom and the European Union. Ireland has made clear its expectation that there will need to be a political solution and not just a legal or a technical solution, given this represents a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances. Achieving this objective will not be easy and compromises will be required by both the UK and the European Union, in order to find a solution that realises the shared objective of avoiding a hard Border, and one which protects Ireland’s obligations, interests and advantages as a continuing and committed member of the EU 27.

The maintenance of the common travel area following the UK withdrawal from the EU is a priority for both the Irish and UK Governments. The common travel area predates Irish and UK membership of the European Union and is not dependent on EU membership. The common travel area is particularly important in underpinning the Northern Ireland peace process and relations on the island of Ireland, and it has been acknowledged by our EU partners in the negotiation guidelines and directives.

As part of my engagement with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland during the discussions following the Assembly elections, I strongly emphasised the critical importance of forming a new Executive so that Northern Ireland's interests can be effectively represented as part of the process of the EU-UK negotiations. Additionally, I have been in frequent contact with all my EU counterparts, including my British counterparts, approaching 80 engagements over the past ten months. In the negotiations, which will commence after the British general election, the Government will pursue an outcome that protects our headline priorities and Ireland’s fundamental interests, including avoidance of a hard Border and the maintenance of the common travel area. We are not under any illusions about the challenge and complexity of these negotiations and have engaged in detailed and ongoing planning in order to prepare for them.

As the Deputy represents a Border area, I assure the House that whether before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence or in the course of plenary session of the House, I at all times welcome the observations of Deputy Smith on issues concerning the Border area. I look forward to the House fully engaging once the negotiations commence.

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