James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak during statements on the pre-Council meetings on 15 and 16 October 2020. Three key issues are to be discussed, namely EU–UK relations, climate change and external relations with Africa. I will take the opportunity to talk about the current status of the EU–UK relationship and various scenarios that will arise after January 2021.

Thinking beyond the United Kingdom, I spoke last week in this House about how I believe our strategy for being Brexit-ready in the dairy sector has too great an emphasis on maintaining the status quo relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding my appreciation for the need to maintain a strong North–South relationship and that any approach we take must be embedded in an all-Ireland approach, Ireland should be openly talking to its EU colleagues about its position within the European Union when the United Kingdom leaves on January 2021. This is not to say I do not highly commend the work the European Union has done in standing up for Irish interests in the negotiations with the United Kingdom; I am simply highlighting that it may happen that it will be more efficient for us to explore alternative areas of growth within the European Union than try to maintain a potentially unworkable relationship with the United Kingdom. The level-headedness of the President of the European Council when he stated last week that we are united and very calm was quite welcome but a conversation now needs to begin on making adequate supports available to help countries, particularly Ireland, to realign themselves within the Single Market when the United Kingdom leaves.

There is an important conversation on the rule of law in Europe at present. There are calls for the Covid-19 recovery fund to be linked to adherence to the rule of law. I very much support and agree with this. While I recognise the need to uphold European values outlined in Articles 2 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which refer to "respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities", we must always ask ourselves what the impact of such measures will be on upholding these values.

Will they make for stronger values by making the position of those who disregard them untenable and the people within the country call for change or will the EU be made a scapegoat by national governments, solidifying their power among their people even further, which is a major concern?

A large part of the reason for Brexit was that large parts of the UK felt they had been left behind. This anger was taken by parties in the UK, turning the EU into a scapegoat and ultimately leading the people famously to want to take back control. The EU should recognise the role that it must play in impacting the level of inequality across and within member states. To uphold the integrity of the Union going forward this must be an issue that we take more seriously. We must learn from the lessons of the reasons, perceived or otherwise, that caused the UK to leave the European Union. Ireland experiencing first-hand the chaos that is caused by a fellow neighbour leaving the EU should be at the forefront of advocating for the EU to address seriously the issues that caused Britain to leave the EU. If the EU is truly united on the issue of Brexit, it should be equally united in engaging on a level of self-reflection.

I understand that there is much that has to be done in the current negotiations and that altering some of the EU positions now may in some way weaken the EU negotiating hand vis-à-visthe United Kingdom. However, I think such a move would show the EU to be a more mature player in the negotiations and could potentially strengthen the ability of the EU to achieve the least disruptive form of Brexit, which would be incredibly important for people working in the agricultural sector, thousands of whom are living and based in my constituency. It is of great importance to me to ensure that would happen. This is not to say that the EU should lower itself to some of the, frankly, xenophobic tactics that have been used by some in the Brexit campaign. It should reclaim the narrative of the benefits of the EU, while also working on the social reforms I outlined.

The United Kingdom Government has done a lot to make joining the EU the worst foreign policy decision the UK has ever implemented. The EU should not only be strong in upholding the integrity of the Single Market, it should be firm on the benefits of it, of which there are many. The balancing act of the reforms that are needed to prevent another Brexit, while also being more confident in asserting the positions of the EU are two points which I hope An Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, can express at the upcoming Council meeting.

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