Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions No. 3 to 8, inclusive, together.

I attended the special meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 25 November. At our meeting, we endorsed the withdrawal agreement and approved the political declaration. This was a positive step, representing the culmination of more than 20 months of difficult negotiations.

The withdrawal agreement sets out the terms for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. It ensures the withdrawal will happen in an orderly manner, avoiding the United Kingdom crashing out, with all the severe consequences that would imply. It provides for a period of transition, during which detailed negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and the UK can take place. It provides for the rights of UK nationals currently resident in other EU member states and EU citizens resident in the UK. It also provides for the orderly winding down of current arrangements across a broad spectrum of EU co-operation and it sets out the financial settlement and governance structures for the withdrawal.

The protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is an integral and fully legally operational part of the withdrawal agreement, fully protects the Good Friday Agreement and peace. It translates the commitment to avoiding a hard border into a legal guarantee.

As I have said many times, I hope the backstop will never be needed but it is vital the withdrawal agreement contains this essential insurance policy, which is a fallback option should other options fail. The protocol also contains provisions on other important areas for Ireland, including the maintenance of the common travel area and all the rights, freedoms and benefits for citizens that flow from it, North-South co-operation, and the single electricity market on the island of Ireland.

The backstop also ensures there will be no diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity as set out in the Good Friday Agreement and it confirms the people in the North will continue to enjoy rights as EU citizens, as I explained earlier. Importantly for Northern Ireland and the Border counties, it confirms PEACE and INTERREG funding will continue.

I had no formal bilateral meetings in Brussels on 25 November but engaged en margewith many of my EU counterparts, including Chancellor Merkel, President Tusk, President Juncker and Prime Minister May. I also spoke to President Juncker by phone on Friday, 23 November, two days before the summit. I thanked him for the continued solidarity and work of the Commission and I assented to the course of action he proposed.

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