Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

207. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has conducted an assessment of the impact of a possible exit by the United Kingdom from the European Union; if his Department will take an active role in the debate on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15261/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There is little doubt that the UK’s continued membership of the European Union is hugely important for Ireland. There are a number of well-documented reasons for this, not least the key role the EU and the common market play in sustaining the strong British-Irish trading relationship. Our joint presence within the Union is also especially beneficial to the people of Northern Ireland and cross-border cooperation. Our focus is therefore on keeping the UK within the EU and we have made this very clear to our British and our European partners, both in public and in private.

I outlined the Government’s position clearly in a speech to the European Council on Foreign Relations in London last November and I had the opportunity to discuss our views in further detail with my British counterpart, Philip Hammond, at a meeting in Dublin the following month. This Government acknowledges that the UK has some legitimate concerns about the future direction of the EU and we will be open and sympathetic to considering British proposals, if and when they are presented, on improving the functioning of the Union.

It is clear that a British departure from the European Union could have serious and potentially adverse consequences for Ireland. That is why the Government is monitoring developments extremely carefully. The Department of the Taoiseach is leading our work in this area and is coordinating ongoing efforts across Government to ensure that Ireland is best prepared for any scenario that could arise. The Department of Finance is also examining relevant issues and has commissioned a report to improve our understanding of the macro-economic links between the UK and Ireland in the context of our EU membership.

My own Department, given its responsibility for Foreign Affairs and Trade, is naturally closely involved in this process. My officials cooperate closely with other Departments and of course, our Embassy in London also plays a vital role, as do many of our other diplomatic missions across the EU and further afield. There are clearly potential consequences across many areas of my Department’s work which require careful consideration.

I should stress, however, that the matter concerned is one for the whole of Government, rather than any one specific Department. This is because British membership of the European Union impacts on Ireland on a large array of levels. This broad interest can be seen, for example, in the Taoiseach’s recent address to the CBI in Belfast, and in my colleague Minister Fitzgerald’s speech in February to the British Irish Chamber of Commerce in Dublin. We will continue to work closely together within Government to help keep the UK within the EU and to protect our country’s interests.