Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

416. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has commenced planning in the event of a no deal scenario with regard to Brexit; if so, the detail of these plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36420/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I have responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit, including developing and setting out Ireland’s approach to the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

The conclusion of a withdrawal agreement between the EU and the UK is a key priority for the Government. A failure to reach such an agreement, resulting in a disorderly withdrawal, would, as I believe is now almost universally accepted, be hugely damaging for the UK and for the EU, most particularly Ireland.

It is therefore incumbent on all sides to act responsibly and to approach these negotiations in a constructive, positive and ambitious frame of mind, with a willingness to compromise.

My focus is on working with our EU partners and the EU institutions to ensure that the negotiations proceed in a positive manner, with a view to making sufficient progress on the withdrawal issues so that we can move on to discussing in parallel the future EU-UK relationship, including as regards trade. The need for effective transitional arrangements is also now very broadly understood.

That said, the negotiations will be complex and difficult. As a priority my Department and I will continue to work with colleagues across Government to develop solutions that protect our interests to the maximum possible extent under a range of different scenarios. These scenarios include one where no agreement is reached.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

418. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the recent meetings he has had with EU counterparts on Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36422/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In order to ensure that Ireland’s key priorities and concerns in regard to Brexit are understood by our partners, the Government undertook an intensive campaign of engagement with our EU partners and the EU Institutions in the period leading up to the adoption by the European Council of the guidelines for the negotiations. This approach delivered for Ireland, with our unique issues placed on the agenda for the first phase of the EU-UK negotiations.

I am continuing these efforts. I have already held bilateral meetings with a number of my EU colleagues since assuming my new role, including with the EU’s lead negotiator, Michel Barnier, as well as with my Estonian, Luxembourg, French, Slovak, Belgian and Spanish counterparts. I also welcomed the Finnish Foreign Minister to Ireland earlier this month and my officials are currently finalising the details of further engagements in the autumn.

In these meetings, I have laid particular emphasis on Ireland’s objective of protecting the gains of the peace process and avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. I have strongly emphasised the need for an imaginative and flexible political solution. In so doing, I have been equally clear that we will only pursue solutions that are compatible with our aim of protecting the integrity of the Single Market and Ireland’s place in it.

It was important to use these opportunities to also acknowledge the support of our partners in agreeing to the inclusion in the EU’s negotiating position of elements addressing the particular challenges faced by Ireland.

I have also stressed the importance of ensuring that the positive momentum from the early rounds of EU-UK negotiations is maintained so that progress can be made as quickly as possible on the many complex issues facing the negotiators. It is important to make sufficient progress on the exit issues, including citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the Irish specific issues, in phase one of the negotiations so that we can move to opening discussions with the UK on the future relationship issues, as well as on effective transitional arrangements, as soon as possible.

I should add that my Department and our Embassies are also continuing to engage with their counterparts, as are colleagues in government, including the Minister of State for European Affairs.