Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the Brexit negotiations; his plans for Ireland's involvement in these negotiations and plans through 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1553/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The additional Guidelines on the Article 50 negotiations adopted by the European Council on 15 December 2017 represented a very significant step in the Brexit negotiations. These Guidelines welcomed the joint progress report agreed between the European Commission Taskforce and the UK. On this basis, it was agreed that sufficient progress has been made in phase 1 of the negotiations and that the negotiations can move to phase 2. In phase 2, a Withdrawal Agreement covering the issues addressed in phase I will be negotiated. The aim is that this agreement will include provision for transitional arrangements, discussions on which are to begin shortly. The framework for the EU’s future relationship with the UK will also start to be discussed in a few months. As concerns the exit issues, I welcome that the Guidelines underline that negotiations in phase two can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken during the first phase are respected in full and translated faithfully into legal terms as quickly as possible. This includes the commitments on protecting the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and avoiding a hard border, as well as on maintaining the Common Travel Area. A key focus in the coming weeks and months will therefore be on completing work on the withdrawal issues and on drafting the relevant parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. It will also be important to maintain a clear focus on the unique challenges faced by Ireland and I welcome that all aspects of the Irish specific issues will continue to be worked on in a distinct stream of work in phase 2.

As concerns transitional arrangements, I welcome that these have been identified as an early priority in phase 2 and that the European Commission Taskforce proposed additional negotiating Directives on transitional arrangements on 20 December. These draft Directives, which propose a ‘status-quo’ transitional arrangement, are currently being discussed by the EU27 Member States with a view to their agreement later this month at the General Affairs Council (Art. 50). Once these additional negotiating directives are agreed by the Council, the Commission will be in a position to begin negotiations with the UK on this issue.

In the Guidelines of 15 December, the European Council also invited the Commission and the Council to continue preparations for the negotiations on the framework for the EU-UK future relationship with a view to agreeing additional Guidelines at the European Council on 22-23 March 2018. In this regard, I welcome that the Guidelines reaffirm the EU’s desire to establish a close partnership with the UK. This is in line with Ireland’s objective of having the closest possible relationship between the EU and the UK, including on trade. It is now important for the UK to provide further clarity on what it wants for the future relationship with the EU. The EU remains open to all options, in line with the principles agreed by the European Council.

In the coming weeks and months, Ireland will continue to work closely with its EU partners and the European Commission Task Force, and with the UK, to ensure the commitments made in phase one are delivered in full and that Ireland’s interests are advanced in the EU’s position for the negotiations on transitional arrangements and the future relationship.