Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he supports a renegotiation of the United Kingdom's Brexit arrangements with the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41703/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 39 together.

I welcome the comments by the leader of the British Labour party that his party, if elected, would pursue a closer relationship with the European Union.

For Ireland, a positive and cooperative relationship between the EU and the UK is essential for the pursuit of many areas of key national interest, an important factor in stability in Northern Ireland as well as a relevant context for our bilateral British-Irish relations.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement provide the framework for post-Brexit relations between the EU and the UK.

The Withdrawal Agreement includes the Windsor Framework/Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, which is a key element of the overall EU-UK framework and one to which we in Ireland pay particularly close attention.

The agreement on the Framework earlier this year was a significantly positive development. The Framework addresses the concerns of people and business in Northern Ireland and provides an opportunity for stability and predictability for trade and business throughout the island. The agreement on the Framework has led to a welcome improvement in relations between the EU and the UK.

To date, the UK Government has been following through on its commitments under the Framework. It has been putting in place the safeguards to protect the European Single Market as agreed and the first set of facilitations for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is due to start coming into effect next week.

It remains vitally important that the Framework is implemented fully and in good faith by the UK.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides for tariff-free and quota-free trade between the EU and the UK as well as areas where the EU and the UK continue to cooperate, including in the areas of energy, fisheries, transport, law enforcement and judicial cooperation.

The Agreement commits the Parties to jointly reviewing implementation five years after the entryinto forceand every five years thereafter.The first such review will take place in 2026 andwill be an opportunity for the EU and the UK jointly to take stock of the operation of the Agreement.

The Agreement also provides for regular and ongoing meetings of EU and UK representatives to implement and exchange views on cooperation through, for example, the Partnership Council at Foreign Secretary/European Commissioner level as well as a range of other meetings covering all aspects of the Agreement.

I believe that there is much more we can do through the Agreement. I welcome, for example, the agreement in principle reached earlier this month on the UK re-joining the EU’s Horizon research programme. I also welcome the upcoming inaugural meeting of the EU-UK Forum for regulatory cooperation on financial services.

For Ireland, a positive partnership between the EU and the UK can provide a key context for political progress in Northern Ireland and for developing British-Irish relations, as well as a framework through which we can advance many areas of national interest.

It is in that light that I welcome any suggestions on how we can strengthen and deepen the EU-UK partnership into the future.