Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is Ireland's position that Mr. Michel Barnier’s mandate should be adjusted to ensure progress in Brexit negotiations. [44896/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Article 50 negotiations between the EU and the UK are proceeding on the basis of the phased approach set out in the European Council Guidelines of 29 April 2017. Phase 1 is focusing on the exit issues of citizen’s rights, the financial settlement and the Irish specific issues. Once the European Council has agreed that sufficient progress has been made on these issues, the negotiations can move into phase 2 and parallel discussions on a framework for a future EU-UK relationship and on a transitional arrangements. Ireland fully supports this phased approach. This phased approach was also agreed by the UK in the first round of negotiations on 19 June.

The Negotiating Directives, based on the European Council Guidelines and as agreed by the EU27 at the General Affairs Council in May 2017, provide a formal mandate for the European Commission negotiating team, led by Michel Barnier, for the Article 50 Negotiations. The European Council can revise its guidelines when necessary as the negotiations proceed and move into phase two. Any additional or revised European Council Guidelines may subsequently require a revision, as agreed by the Council, to the more detailed negotiating directives.

At its meeting on 20 October, the European Council welcomed the progress made in the EU-UK negotiations to date but agreed that further work is needed before it can agree that sufficient progress has been made on all of the exit issues to enable discussions on the framework for a future EU-UK relationship and transitional arrangements to begin. Decisions on sufficient progress will be made collectively by the Heads of State and Government of EU27. In that respect, I welcome the call by the European Council for work in the negotiations to continue, and its commitment to reassess progress at its next meeting on 14-15 December.

Once sufficient progress has been made by the UK on all of the exit issues, additional guidelines will be agreed by the European Council on the framework for a future relationship and possible transitional arrangements. I welcome the fact that the European Council last month asked Michel Barnier and the Council to start internal preparatory work among the EU27 for Phase 2. This was a positive acknowledgement of the UK’s constructive approach to the Article 50 negotiations as reflected in Prime Minister May’s speech in Florence on 22 September and an indication the EU is willing and ready to begin phase 2 once sufficient progress has been achieved. While the existing Guidelines include elements on these Phase 2 issues, I expect that they will need to be adjusted and expanded as negotiations in that phase begin.

The Government remains hopeful that, with hard work and political will, progress can be made in negotiations in coming weeks so that decision can be taken by European Council at its meeting in December that parallel phase 2 discussions on future relationship and possible transitional arrangements can begin.