Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 September 2023
133. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which post-Brexit agreements are in hand or in force, with particular reference to the need to ensure that whatever arrangements agreed are put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42090/23]
View answerSince the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the framework for post-Brexit relations between the EU and the UK consists of the Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force in January 2020, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, was applied provisionally as of 1 January 2021 and entered into force on 1 May 2021.The Withdrawal Agreement includes the Windsor Framework, which updates and replaces the arrangements originally set out in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
The European Union consistently monitors and ensures the implementation of both of these Agreements, with a particular focus currently on the implementation of the Windsor Framework.
The agreement between the EU and UK on the Windsor Framework earlier this year was a significantly positive development. The Framework comprehensively addresses the concerns of people and business in Northern Ireland. It gives Northern Ireland access to the EU single market for goods, while at the same time as being part of the UK internal market. It provides Northern Ireland stakeholders with an opportunity for enhanced engagement on EU issues.
For Ireland, and for our partners in the EU, it is vital that the Framework is implemented fully and in good faith.
To date, the UK Government has been following through on its commitments under the Framework. It has been putting in in place the safeguards to protect the Single Market as agreed, and, as a result, the first set of facilitations for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is due to start coming into effect from 1 October.
Along with the European Commission and our EU partners, we will continue to carefully monitor the implementation of the Framework over the coming months, as the first set of trade facilitations take effect, and into future implementation phases.
The EU also monitors closely other aspects of the UK’s commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement, in particular its commitments to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
Since 2021, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has provided the basis for tariff-free and quota-free trade between the EU and the UK as well as a framework for continued cooperation with the UK in key areas of strategic interest for Ireland, including fisheries, transport and energy.
The European Commission closely monitors all aspects of the UK’s implementation of the Agreement. The Agreement provides for regular meetings of EU and UK representatives to discuss implementation and exchange views on cooperation through the Partnership Council at Foreign Secretary/European Commissioner level, as well as a range of other meetings covering all aspects of the Agreement. Each of the 18 Specialised Committees established under the Agreement meet at least once annually to address sectoral issues such as trade in goods; customs cooperation and rules of origin; SPS; technical barriers to trade; services, investment and digital trade; intellectual property; public procurement; regulatory cooperation; and the level playing field.
Ireland actively inputs into the EU side to ensure our interests are fully represented in these important meetings.
The EU pays particularly close attention to the level playing field and non-regression commitments the UK made to the EU in the Agreement to ensure fair competition between UK and EU businesses.
The Agreement also includes binding enforcement mechanisms as well as dispute resolution mechanisms to deal with any differences that arise between the parties.
I am pleased to report that, currently, both the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as well as the Withdrawal Agreement are working well and the UK Government is implementing the provisions of both agreements in line with its commitments.
There are, of course, many areas where the EU and the UK have different approaches, but the governance structures of the Agreements are functioning well and providing forums for issues of implementation to be discussed and addressed.
This is true also of the Windsor Framework, where the relevant EU-UK structures, including the Joint Committee on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework, are meeting regularly. Overall, the agreement on the Windsor Framework has led to a welcome improvement in relations between the EU and the UK.
This has resulted in progress in a number of important EU-UK initiatives. 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.
Along with the European Commission and our EU partners, we will continue to be vigilant to ensure that both the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement are implemented. For Ireland, the full and good faith implementation of the Windsor Framework will be particularly key. 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.
