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

I thank the Deputy for the question. It concerns a topic that should get much more focus than it does. Many questions focus on problems with the implementation of the protocol, and there are some, but of course there is also great benefit for Northern Ireland in getting uninterrupted access into both the rest of the UK internal market and the huge EU Single Market. That is an extraordinary economic advantage for Northern Ireland, the benefits of which we are starting to see.

The protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland was agreed by the EU and the British Government. The result of more than four years of difficult negotiation with compromises on all sides, it is designed to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement, including avoiding a hard land border, to protect vital all-island supply chains and to ensure the integrity of the Single Market and Ireland’s place in it.

The protocol offers real benefits to Northern Ireland. Goods produced in Northern Ireland have access to both the EU’s Single Market of more than 450 million people, the world’s largest and most powerful trading bloc, as well as the rest of the UK internal market of some 65 million people. Nowhere else in the world can make this offer to local and international business. It is an opportunity that can benefit all communities.

The first year of the protocol’s operation has seen historically high levels of investment interest in Northern Ireland and a series of jobs announcements and investment decisions clearly linked to Northern Ireland’s dual market access. However, stability, certainty, and predictability are needed to fully realise these opportunities. The Government continues to engage closely with the business community, political leaders, and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland. The Government and I, along with European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, have consistently highlighted the economic opportunities associated with the protocol as part of this engagement. Recent polling shows a growing recognition throughout Northern Ireland that the protocol presents genuine economic opportunities.

In October 2021, the European Commission presented a comprehensive and generous package of proposals to minimise disruption caused by Brexit for the people of Northern Ireland.

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