Written answers

Tuesday, 29 January 2019

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Brexit Negotiations

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his ongoing discussions with Mr. Michel Barnier in respect of the proposed agreement between the EU and UK in terms of Brexit. [49100/18]

Photo of Michael MoynihanMichael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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84. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the comments by Mr. Michel Barnier on the vote on the withdrawal treaty on 15 January 2019 in the House of Commons that the UK is not ready to agree the treaty; and his views on whether attempts will be made to change, further clarify or weaken the backstop. [2655/19]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 84 together.

I met with Michel Barnier on 21 January, in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. We discussed the disappointing but not unexpected outcome of the 15 January vote in the House of Commons on the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. Both Mr Barnier and I are in agreement that what we need from the UK is clarity on how it proposes to move forward, and ultimately what it wants to achieve. The EU could then consider any next steps it might take. The EU continues to take a united approach to the negotiations and I thanked Mr Barnier for his unwavering support for Ireland.

Mr Barnier and I remain firmly of the view that the only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal is to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement as endorsed by the European Council and agreed with the British Government.  The European Council in December and the joint letter from Presidents Tusk and Juncker have provided reassurances with regard to the backstop. The European Council has made clear that it stands by the Withdrawal Agreement and that it is not open for renegotiation. The EU stands ready to work further on the Political Declaration as we look to the future relationship. 

I welcomed Mr Barnier’s statement to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 16 January, in which he publicly reaffirmed his commitment to the backstop and to the Withdrawal Agreement as a whole, which represents the best possible compromise between the European Union and the United Kingdom. In our discussion, Mr Barnier and I agreed that it is the only agreement on the table that provides the essential legal guarantee to avoid a hard border in any circumstances and protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts.

As Mr Barnier stated in Strasbourg, an orderly Brexit remains our top priority, but we must be prepared for all scenarios. In light of the ongoing uncertainty in Britain, the European Council has asked that preparedness work at the national and EU level intensify, taking account of all possible outcomes. I have outlined Ireland’s approach in this regard to Mr Barnier, including planned legislation and other contingency measures. I also thanked Mr Barnier for the Commission’s continued helpful and constructive engagement in this area, and their understanding of the particular challenges faced by Ireland.

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