Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As we all know, the European Council agreed on 10 April last to extend the date of the UK's departure from the EU until 31 October. If the UK ratifies the withdrawal agreement before then, it will leave the EU on the first day of the following month. One of the conditions of the extension is that the UK must now hold European Parliament elections. If it does not, the UK will leave the EU on 1 June.  I am glad the necessary preparations to hold European Parliament elections in the UK are under way. Although many people do not want those elections to take place, preparations for them are necessary for the reasons I have outlined. The Government welcomes the European Council's decision, which gives the UK more time to ensure there is an orderly withdrawal. Of course, the UK retains the right to revoke its Article 50 notification at any time if it chooses to do so. The European Council has reiterated that the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop and the Irish protocol, cannot be renegotiated and that any unilateral commitments made by the UK Government should be compatible with the letter and the spirit of the withdrawal agreement. We welcome these important assertions.

 The European Council has made it clear that the additional time which has been made available cannot be used to begin the negotiations on the future relationship, which will begin when the UK's withdrawal from the EU has taken place. If the UK's position evolves, the EU will be prepared to reconsider the political declaration on the future relationship. The UK will remain a full member of the EU throughout the duration of the extension. We welcome the UK's commitment to act in a responsible and constructive way during the extension. While we had no expectation that the UK would act in any other way, this commitment is important because we must safeguard the effective functioning of the EU. Therefore, the EU 27 can discuss matters relating to long-term decisions without the UK.  Responsibility for avoiding a no-deal Brexit now lies firmly with the UK. We hope the ongoing process between the UK Government and the main opposition party in that country, the British Labour Party, will lead to a positive outcome and an orderly withdrawal, which is what we are all looking for.

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