Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent proposals outlined by an organisation (details supplied) regarding the establishment of a new customs arrangement between Britain and the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51755/17]

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. Ireland fully supports this approach, which foresees that discussions on the future EU-UK relationship, including trade, will get underway as soon as sufficient progress has been made on the EU’s key priorities under the withdrawal process – notably citizens’ rights, the UK’s financial settlement and the Irish specific issues. 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 was needed before it can agree that sufficient progress has be made on all of the exit issues. The European Council called for work in the negotiations to continue, and committed itself to reassessing progress at its next meeting in December. I very much hope that it will be able to make a positive assessment.

The October European Council also agreed to begin internal preparatory discussions on priorities for the future framework for the EU-UK future relationship, and for transitional arrangements. The aim of such discussions, which are now underway at official level, is to ensure that the EU is ready to begin phase 2 negotiations with the UK as soon has sufficient progress has been recorded. Ireland's approach to these discussions is being prepared through cross-Departmental coordination structures, chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This work is building upon the extensive cross-Government research, analysis and consultation with stakeholders that has already been undertaken, including as reflected in the comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’ Approach”published on 2 May.

In this regard, the views and analyses of business representative groups such as the British Irish Chamber of Commerce will continue to be important as we further elaborate our position going forward. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce is the leading business group representing the interest of businesses with interests in Britain and Ireland, and is an important voice to be heard in the context of solutions to the unique challenges facing Ireland and Northern Ireland. As such, their contribution is always valuable and deserves thorough consideration.

The precise customs arrangements that will apply after Brexit will depend on the outcome of negotiations of the future relationship between the EU and the UK. Ireland’s overriding position is that a future EU-UK Free Trade Agreement should be comprehensive and ambitious and as wide as possible in its scope, while ensuring a level playing field and protecting the integrity of the Single Market. This is an outcome that I will be working hard to achieve with my EU27 counterparts.