Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I begin by agreeing with Deputy O'Callaghan on the vital point of rule of law.

The last time we spoke about the European Council we discussed the position regarding sanctions against Belarus. It is extremely welcome that the Council has taken the decision not just to extend sanctions but, crucially, to include President Lukashenko in that sanctions regime.

Some of the key areas touched upon by the Taoiseach, such as climate change but also the Union's response to Covid-19, are extremely important. While it is an issue more relevant to the Minister for Health, what level of engagement is going on at General Affairs Council meetings among the 27 member states in terms of their approach to tackling this pandemic? We are aware of what the European Union can and cannot do when it comes to health issues. Many of the resources provided are extremely welcome. We saw that yesterday with regard to the bond yields and also with regard to procurement and stockpiling but are there other lessons to be learned? How do we compare to other countries? What are the approaches being taken and what co-ordination can we expect in the coming months?

I want to touch on the position relating to the EU-Africa discussions, which are vitally important to the future of the European Union. It is an issue in which Ireland can and must play a leading role within the Union, not just because of our position in the world and the strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs, DFA, to extend our diplomatic presence across the continent of Africa but also in terms of our strong history of mission work, NGO work, peacekeeping and so much more on that continent that will become increasingly important.

Like other Deputies here I want to address the key issue dominating some conversations, although as Deputy Carthy rightly pointed out, it is no longer the biggest issue. I refer to Brexit. It is remarkable that over a two-day Council summit this issue, which is seen as the biggest issue whenever people think about the EU and the UK, but also here in Ireland, took up only about two and a half hours of the debate. That is a signal to many that the European Union is ready to move on from Brexit and that Brexit is the mid-life crisis the United Kingdom is facing. It is not of the EU's making and it is certainly not an issue that will hold back the EU or create division within the Union, despite what some people say.

I welcome again the consistency in the repeated mandate from the European Council for Michel Barnier to make sure that a level playing field is at the heart of any agreement. The standards of the European Single Market are vitally important and we cannot let a bargain basement trade deal undermine the standards of food, environmental protection and so much else across what is our Single Market. It is not Ireland and the EU. We are the EU and maintaining that integrity is vital. We have to be aware of the political game-playing and rhetoric on display, which is tailored to a domestic audience enwrapped by ongoing crises when it comes to Covid-19. We saw the scenes in Manchester today and how that will play out in Westminster. I have no doubt there will be more chest beating, angry tweets and who knows what else. It is shocking to see repeated references, including last Sunday morning and again yesterday afternoon, from British Ministers that they are prepared to leave with an Australian style free trade deal. There is no such thing as an Australian style free trade deal. The EU does not have an Australian style free trade deal. It may as well be a Somali, Afghani or Islamic Republic of Mauritania deal. It is important that the EU puts that aside and calls a no-deal what it is. When people speak with such a level of entitlement to a Canada style deal that they say they are offered we should be frank and say that a Canada style deal was never sought by the UK. A Canada style deal like the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, CETA, which I know caused some division in this House and when I was a Member of the Seanad, would have required an extension of the transition to allow a line-by-line tariff schedule take place. CETA took nine years of negotiations. We are trying to do in 11 months what the UK is now pretending they had always asked for and to which they were entitled. Let us not forget that the Canada style deal comes with quotas and tariffs. To the best of my knowledge there are no ro-ro ferries operating between Nova Scotia and Rosslare.

I reject the issue Deputy Carthy raised in respect of preparation. The in-person road shows are not taking place but the Minister addressed the exporters council this morning. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, addressed the issue yesterday. I will be speaking to the august members of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber of Commerce next week about the importance of Brexit preparation in terms of industry. It is not just a question of talking about it but seeing that the Government has backed this up with a €3.4 billion Brexit support fund.

The challenge for the Minister, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, is how we can best access any other EU supports that may be coming to Ireland or across the Union. I mentioned the importance of yesterday's bond sales, particularly to the economies of Spain and Italy. Moving on from the economic and public health impacts of Covid-19, we have to realise that the economical impacts of Brexit could be as bad as anything we have seen from Covid-19. It is vitally important, therefore, that when Ireland seeks access to any European supports, Brexit is included as part of that.

We also see that much more work needs to go on. We see reports in England about the tailbacks in Dover. Worryingly, we see the report from the Welsh Assembly last week on the issues that are likely to arise on 1 January 2021 in Holyhead, Pembroke and Fishguard, regardless of whether there is a deal. There will be a requirement for customs checks. That is the reason I welcome the announcement from the Tánaiste of the €9,000 customs grants to each business.

This is excellent work. It is important work but I fear, and it is an issue I raised with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs last week, that all of the work being done in Ireland may not be replicated in the UK. In particular, I raised concerns relating to the work of Northern Ireland. It is very welcome that Commissioner Sefcovic and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, had a warm meeting but much more needs to happen. Tomorrow morning, the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs will meet with the House of Lords European Union Committee. We see the Internal Market Bill stuck in that parliament. We saw a massive defeat for the British Government but we need to be given comprehensive, legally binding assurances that the Internal Market Bill will be heavily amended, if not withdrawn, and that the finance Bill due before the Houses of Parliament in the UK will not contain any measures that are detrimental to the agreed Irish protocol, which is an international agreement with responsibilities to international law. We have heard the outcry from five living former British Prime Ministers and many more across the political spectrum in the UK, Brexiteer and remainer alike. It is vitally important that it is upheld. I underline the importance of the Government working with our European partners to make sure that those responsibilities are met.

See this speech in context