Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the briefings he has had on the Brexit negotiations, in particular in respect of the Border issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53038/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have discussions with my officials on an ongoing basis on all aspects of the EU-UK exit negotiations, and our national response to the impact of Brexit is unrelenting. I have regular meetings with my senior officials, including our Permanent Representative to the EU and our Ambassador in London, to discuss developments in the negotiations and these meetings have intensified in recent weeks. I also have frequent meetings with my officials on specific issues as the need arises and my office maintains a regular line of contact with the core team in my Department working on Brexit issues, as well as with senior officials in the Department of the Taoiseach and other relevant Departments.

Our Permanent Representation in Brussels and our Embassies in all EU Member States ensure that I am kept informed of the concerns and priorities of the EU Institutions and our EU partners and their views in relation to the Irish-specific issues. My officials based in Belfast and in Armagh also keep me informed of ongoing contacts in Northern Ireland on Brexit-related issues.

Since I took office as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in June of this year, my priority has been to ensure that, not only am I kept fully briefed on the Brexit negotiations and on the border issue, but that - working closely with the Taoiseach and Minister of State McEntee - I am actively engaged in what is an existential matter for this island. I have taken time to meet with and hear from people in businesses and community organisations in Northern Ireland and the border region to deepen further my own understanding of this complex situation. The All-Island Civic Dialogue has also been invaluable in this regard.

Through all of this, I believe that the position being taken by the Government in relation to the border issue is the correct one. This approach proved successful in achieving our goals in phase one. These goals include the maintenance of the Common Travel Area, protection of the Good Friday Agreement including North South cooperation, and protection of EU citizenship and other rights. We have achieved the most important commitment of avoiding a hard border and the UK has set out in detail how this could be achieved. In the absence of an agreed solution the UK has committed to maintaining full alignment with the rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support the all-island economy and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement including North-South co-operation. This will ensure that people’s lives and livelihoods are protected and that communities and businesses in the border region are given every opportunity to develop and prosper. I therefore look forward to a positive outcome from this week’s European Council which will allow the EU-UK negotiations to proceed to phase II.