Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement he has had with the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union regarding Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56177/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Discussions between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol including between David Frost and Maros Šefcovic are ongoing and it is important that we give these talks every chance to succeed. A positive outcome to current discussions is our objective.

I have met with UK Minister of State David Frost on a number of occasions in the last year, most recently in September, at the meeting of the British Irish Association in Oxford. I have also discussed the Protocol in meetings with other UK ministers, including with the UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on 13 October and the Minister for Europe and Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Wendy Morton, on 1 October. The issue has also been regularly raised by other Ministers in recent contacts with UK counterparts.

In all contacts with UK ministers and officials, I have emphasised the importance of using the EU-UK framework for issues related to the Protocol and of finding a solution that works for the people of Northern Ireland. We are impressing on them that invoking Article 16 would have far reaching implications for the EU-UK relationship and for our bilateral relationship. The European Commission has acted in good faith. A good faith response is required from the United Kingdom Government.

I am of course also in regular contact with Vice-President Šefcovic, with our partners across the EU, the US Administration and Congress and stakeholders across Northern Ireland. Support for the Commission package and minimising disruption in Northern Ireland remains very strong. I had the opportunity to discuss developments with several EU Foreign Ministers during the course of the FAC meeting in Brussels this week. Minister Byrne is also in touch with his counterparts.

I believe strongly the Protocol will work if we allow it to with flexibility and pragmatism.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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327. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement he has had with the President of the United States of America or their representatives regarding Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56178/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland deeply values the role that the United States has played in ensuring peace and stability in Northern Ireland and the continuing high-level bipartisan support for the Good Friday Agreement. The engagement by successive US Administrations, Congress and the Irish Diaspora has been an indispensable part of the success of the Peace Process over the last three decades, and remains so to this day.

Contacts between the Government and members of the US Administration are ongoing and consistent. I have spoken to my counterpart, Secretary of State Blinken, on a number of occasions, and on 1 November the Taoiseach met with President Biden on the margins of COP26. I have also raised our concerns with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan a number of times. In September, the Taoiseach and I travelled to the US and had several high level engagements. It was clear from these meetings that US political representatives support the Protocol, and view it as essential to preserving the gains of the Peace Process and the Good Friday Agreement.

As talks between the EU and the UK progress, this support continues to be strongly expressed at all levels of the US political system. President Biden met with European Commission President Von der Leyen in Washington DC on 10 November, where both sides reiterated the importance of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Protocol for peace and stability on the island of Ireland.

On 9 November, four key US congress members released a statement warning that a failure to implement the Protocol would undermine decades of progress towards peace in Ireland. This was followed by a statement from the Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement which noted that triggering Article 16 of the Protocol would be unwise and unpopular in Northern Ireland.

The Commission’s proposals represent a real opportunity for Northern Ireland. The European Commission has acted in good faith and a good faith response is required from the United Kingdom Government. It is important that we give the talks between the EU and the UK every chance to succeed. A positive outcome to current discussions is our objective. I believe the Protocol will work if we allow it to with flexibility and pragmatism.