Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 July 2017
193. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to his comments on designated special status for Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit, if this special status includes maintaining ongoing sectoral linkages on a sector by sector basis (details supplied) wherein it is practicable. [30850/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraProtecting the Northern Ireland peace process is one of the Government’s priorities in the Brexit negotiations. The Government’s focus in relation to Northern Ireland is the substantive outcome to the key issues. The Government’s objectives in the withdrawal negotiations are well-known: to secure the avoidance of a hard border, respect for the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, continued EU engagement in Northern Ireland and the protection of the unique status of Irish citizens in Northern Ireland.
As a result of intensive political and diplomatic engagement by the Government, our EU partners and the EU institutions are fully aware and supportive of the importance of respecting the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and protecting the gains of the peace process. The European Council’s guidelines for the EU-UK negotiations include a strong acknowledgment of the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland and explicitly recognize the importance of preserving the achievements, benefits and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement. These guidelines are fully reflected in the negotiating directives adopted by the General Affairs Council on 22 May.
The inclusion of the specific references to Ireland’s key priorities in the EU negotiating guidelines highlights their acceptance by our EU partners as shared priorities for the European Union in the negotiation process with the UK. The Government is under no illusions about the challenge and complexity of these negotiations and is engaged in detailed and ongoing planning in order to prepare for them.
North/South cooperation is ever more crucial in the context of Brexit and work in this area will continue. The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) has had a strong Brexit focus in the past year in working to identify impacts, opportunities and contingencies for the island arising from the UK’s departure from the EU. In November 2016, the NSMC agreed to a number of common principles to guide future work on Brexit. I look forward to this work continuing in greater depth and detail once agreement is reached to form a new Northern Ireland Executive.
The All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit is a critical part of the Government’s engagement with sectors which will be impacted by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Over 1,200 delegates have participated in two plenary sessions and numerous sectoral dialogues, facilitating a wide conversation on the implications of Brexit for the island, North and South. Through this process the Government has heard and taken on board a broad range of concerns which have informed the Government’s approach to the Brexit negotiations. This has been a very valuable initiative and is continuing.
The Government will maintain its focus on the pursuit of specific, effective and realizable measures that address each of the issues of concern under Brexit to ensure that the gains of the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement are not in any way undermined by the UK’s exit from the EU and to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
