Written answers

Thursday, 21 September 2017

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Brexit Negotiations

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the meetings and interactions he has had with his EU colleagues on the distinct issues facing Ireland as a consequence of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39701/17]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the implications for Ireland arising from Brexit continue to be in the forefront of discussions with EU partners and the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40076/17]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 94 together.

Since I took up office in June, engagement on Brexit with EU and UK colleagues has been a central element of my work. Engagement with our EU partners has yielded clear results in ensuring that Ireland’s unique issues and concerns have been fully understood by the EU27 and have been reflected in the EU’s negotiating position. As the negotiations enter an important phase over the coming weeks and months, continuing such engagement with EU partners, both at political and official level, will remain a key priority. On Monday 4 September, I met with Michel Barnier, the EU’s Chief Negotiator on Brexit, and his team. This was our second meeting since my appointment. It was a constructive meeting in which we discussed the evolution of the negotiations and the Irish specific issues, which are one of the three priority issues for phase one of the negotiations. While some progress is being made on these issues, most notably with regard to the Common Travel Area, much work is still required on protecting the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and the gains of the peace process, including sustaining North South cooperation and avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. The Government supports the Task Force’s Guiding Principles on Ireland and Northern Ireland which reflects our priorities and sets out important principles that should form the basis of future solutions on the Irish specific issues as part of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.

During my visit to Brussels earlier this month I also met with MEPs from across the political spectrum within the European Parliament, including with Guy Verhofstadt, the Parliament's Coordinator on Brexit, and with Irish MEPs. This provided a valuable opportunity to engage with them at the beginning of a new parliamentary term and to update them on Ireland’s perspective on the negotiations. I am glad that Guy Verhofstadt is visiting Ireland today, as it is a further indication of the priority afforded by the European Parliament to Ireland’s unique concerns within the context of Brexit.

Since my appointment, I have also held bilateral meetings with a number of my EU colleagues, including my Estonian, Luxembourg, French, Slovak, Belgian and Spanish counterparts. I also welcomed the Finnish Foreign Minister to Ireland in July. Earlier this month I had short meetings with my counterparts from Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Slovenia, as well as the Cypriot Minister for Defence, at the Gymnich/Informal Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

My officials also continue to meet their counterparts in other Member States, and of course the Permanent Representation in Brussels is also key to this work.

In my meetings with EU partners to date, 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 been clear on the unique nature of the circumstances on the island of Ireland and this point has been echoed by Mr Barnier. We are acutely aware of the potential impact of Brexit on the border region and on people living there. In emphasising the need for imaginative and flexible political solutions for the island of Ireland, the Government has 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. I will continue to deliver this message in my engagements in the coming weeks.

Engagement with the UK, in particular on Irish-specific issues, is also important. In this regard, I met the UK’s Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, David Davis, in London on 6 July, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council on 17 July, and more recently, with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, and the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, in Dublin on 22 and 31 August respectively. In these meetings, I welcomed the publication of UK position papers on its exit from the Union, including the paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland, but stressed that the UK needs to back this up with tangible commitments that can pave the way for practical solutions. I emphasised that, while the Government maintains regular contact with the British Government, the serious issues involved can only be substantively considered and addressed through the ongoing EU-UK negotiations.

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