Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This will be an important occasion for the Taoiseach as it will be his first European Council meeting as Taoiseach at a critical time for our country and, indeed, at a critical time in the EU's history. On a point made by Deputy Martin in earlier discussions, it is unfortunate that, as the critical part of the Brexit negotiations begins, the team that represents our country and the institutional knowledge they had about Europe has been completely changed. The removal of the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Dara Murphy, the appointment of a new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to replace the Minister, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, along with Deputy Varadkar's own election to replace the very experienced former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, means there will be a completely new group of people without the institutional memory of their predecessors. That will require a great deal of learning on the job and of bringing themselves up to speed.

Of course, Europe itself is undergoing change. A new French President has been elected and we are soon facing into new elections in Germany, and perhaps also in other European countries such as Italy.

The opinion polls indicate that Chancellor Merkel is likely to be re-elected; she will, therefore, continue to be the dominant force in European policy making. At the same time, Russia continues to be a destabilising influence on Europe's eastern borders. I understand the Taoiseach will engage in bilateral meetings with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in advance of the meeting. When he was elected, President Tusk wrote to him, highlighting the challenges the island faces because of Brexit. While the Taoiseach's predecessor was criticised for many things, he really did ensure the European Union and all of its member states were very well briefed on the impact of Brexit on this island. When the Taoiseach meets President Tusk, I hope he will raise with him the future approach of the European Union to the Paris agreement and the decision of US President Donald Trump to withdraw his country from the agreement. There is an urgent need, therefore, for the European Union to step up and show global leadership on the issue of climate change. This will be particularly important in the absence of the United States from the agreement. I hope Ireland will be an exemplar in driving that agenda.

The dominant interest for us, of course, at the Council will be Brexit. In advance of the Article 50 meetings on Thursday, the Council will exchange views with the President of the European Parliament and I hope the Taoiseach will use the opportunity to build a relationship with Antonio Tajani who will have a crucial role to play in the approval of any final deal. It is critical that a deep understanding of Ireland's concerns and unique position be communicated to all Members of the European Parliament who, in effect, will have a veto, unlike the Members of national parliaments, on the final decision to be made.

Formal Brexit negotiations have begun. It is welcome that when the Taoiseach met her on Monday the British Prime Minister committed again to the goal of what she describes - I suppose there are myriad phrases for it - as a frictionless border. However, as we know, Britain's intention, restated again on Monday, to withdraw from the Single Market and the customs union makes that statement impossible to achieve. I am gravely concerned by the approach taken by Britain thus far. It does not bode well that at the first formal meeting with Mr. Barnier the Secretary of State for Brexit, Mr. David Davis, came with no prepared negotiating papers, we are informed, and instead was simply armed with the White Paper and the Prime Minister's Lancaster House speech. We have little time as it is and the British Government squandered some time in holding an unnecessary general election, out of which it has come without a mandate or a majority for a clear expression among the elected members of the new Parliament in Britain of what they want from Brexit. It is very difficult to negotiate when people do not actually have a clear agenda. I am in very close contact with my Labour Party colleagues in Britain and Keir Starmer is migrating to a very acceptable position for us, which may well mean Britain staying in the customs union. These are things we need to deepen and address because the British position is quite flexible, or certainly in a state of flux. We have no detail on what the British Government wants, apart from an unrealistic desire for all the benefits of European membership that it keeps stating it wants but without any of the costs. At some point in the coming months it will have to make a choice and we should see if we can influence that choice through bilateral discussions with all of the political parties in the United Kingdom.

I hope the intense negotiations with Mr. Barnier, when they begin on 10 July, will see a detailed position being set out by the United Kingdom. In saying that, it is welcome that the British have agreed to the Euorpean Union's proposals for a phasing of the discussions. However, the strand of the negotiations dealing with Ireland, as others have said, will now be subject, we understand, to slower dialogue, which is truly disappointing. I hope the Taoiseach will raise with Mr. Barnier this issue when he briefs the European Council 27. We cannot rest on our laurels, having secured the commitments in the negotiating mandate that we sought. They will be fluid and dynamic negotiations and making the right start is important, but certainly it will only be a start. The acceptance of the United Kingdom of the European Union's proposals for phasing means that discussions on a free trade agreement will not occur until after other details have been decided, including the bill for exit and the issues facing Ireland. I listened again during the week to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain entirely dismiss the moneys expected to be placed on the table as the legitimate cost to be met by the United Kingdom.

We have very little time available to us, less than two years, before we reach the Article 50 deadline. A comprehensive free trade agreement, as sought by the United Kingdom, will certainly not be achieved within that timeline. It is imperative that a transitional arrangement be put in place, for which we in the Labour Party have argued for some time. This will ensure Irish companies will have time to adjust and grandfather the changes ultimately agreed to. The impact of Brexit will fundamentally alter the island. In particular, if it is not handled extremely carefully, it will destroy many thousands of jobs.

I raised with the Taoiseach's predecessor the need for domestic policy action and do so again today with the Taoiseach. There is a need to secure funding and policy changes in Europe to meet our unique circumstances. As the Taoiseach knows, the Labour Party published its document on Brexit last March. While much has changed since, the 20 specific actions we set out in the document are still very important and germane.

Since the first civil dialogue on Brexit in Dublin Castle I have highlighted the need for an early warning system between employers and trade unions and, critically, the need to seek to change the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to support workers and employers impacted on by market changes due to Brexit or currency changes in advance of Brexit. One of our ambitions concerns the need to waiver state aid rules and establish a Brexit trade adjustment fund of €250 million to support companies in transition. Three of the proposals we set out in our March document have been embraced by IBEC, which is an interesting development. There is growing consensus on what Ireland must do to support people, jobs and the economy. We have made the specific proposals and now want to see those which can be acted on immediately being acted on immediately.

As others have referenced, on Friday the Council will also discuss the issue of migration and the crisis in the Mediterranean. I hope the Taoiseach will deliver on the commitments we made when we were in government together to accept refugees into the State. We have committed to accepting more than 2,600 by September this year. The Taoiseach has given the number who have entered the State to date and I hope the others will arrive and be welcomed in communities throughout the country. I support the view of others that we need to ensure every member of the European Union will accept the responsibility to take in refugees.

The Council will address the jobs, growth and competitiveness strategy. I call on the Taoiseach to seek changes to the EU fiscal rules. I have already had these discussions. If the door is not open, it is certainly ajar. This is something on which we need to follow up and the clock is ticking. We need to ensure the vital interests of Ireland are actioned and not simply talked about.

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