Micheál Martin
Ceist:98. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he spoke with Mr. Michel Barnier on 4 December 2017 regarding Brexit. [52606/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMinisterial Communications
Ceisteanna (98, 116)
Stephen Donnelly
Ceist:116. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to Mr. Michel Barnier recently. [50596/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 116 together.
I have been in frequent contact with Michel Barnier during this critical phase in the Article 50 negotiations.
At the General Affairs Council (Article 50) on 20 November, Mr Barnier provided an update to the EU27 Member States on the state of play with regard to the EU-UK negotiations and I also met with him in the margins of the Eastern Partnership Summit on 24 November.
These contacts have supported Mr Barnier’s efforts to achieve sufficient progress on the Irish issues and in securing a positive outcome for Ireland in the joint progress report agreed between Prime Minister May and European Commission President Juncker last Friday, 8 December.
I met with Mr Barnier earlier this morning in Brussels and took this opportunity to thank him and his team for their excellent work to date in securing a positive outcome for Ireland and for the EU27 as a whole and welcome that he is now in a position to recommend to the Council that sufficient progress has been made on all phase one issues.
Later today I will attend the General Affairs Council (Article 50), at which Mr Barnier will present the EU-UK joint report. I will take this opportunity to welcome that language on Ireland and Northern Ireland in the joint report from the negotiators of the EU and the UK Government reflects our goals of maintaining the Common Travel Area, protecting the Good Friday Agreement and North South cooperation and protecting EU citizenship and other rights.
In so doing, I will note that there is clearly still a great deal of work remaining on the Irish issues to ensure that all the commitments set out in this report are implemented. I will therefore welcome that work on Irish issues will continue to be taken forward in a distinct strand of the negotiations in phase two. This will ensure that they will not be overlooked in the next phase.
I will also express my hope that the European Council will agree to start discussions on the framework for a future EU-UK relationship, and on transitional arrangements, as soon as possible. This is hugely important for Ireland and for the EU as a whole.
North-South Implementation Bodies
Ceisteanna (99)
David Cullinane
Ceist:99. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the areas of North-South co-operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52685/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The main forum for advancing North South co-operation is the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), which was established under Strand Two of the Good Friday Agreement. In the Council, the Government works with the Northern Ireland Executive to advance areas of practical co-operation which are to our mutual benefit, and the Council oversees co-operation in the agreed twelve Areas or Sectors.
In six of these Sectors, co-operation is taken forward by means of the North South Implementation Bodies: Waterways Ireland, Food Safety Promotion Board, InterTradeIreland, Special EU Programmes Body, North/South Language Body, and the Loughs Agency, all of which operate on an all-island basis.
In the other six “Areas of Co-operation” - agriculture; education; environment; health; tourism (including Tourism Ireland Ltd.) and transport - common policies and approaches are agreed in the North South Ministerial Council but implemented separately in each jurisdiction. Outside of the NSMC structure, good co-operation also takes place in other areas including energy.
With the continuing absence of a functioning Executive, the North South Ministerial Council cannot operate and bring together the Government and the Executive to oversee ongoing North/South work and further develop co-operation, as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. This is a most serious absence, and particularly so at a time when the Council should be continuing the work it commenced last year to deal with the challenges of the UK exit from the EU. Common Principles were agreed at the Plenary meeting of the NSMC in November 2016, to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive to deal with the challenges that are raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit from the European Union. We should be working together on this through the North South Ministerial Council.
In the context of the UK exit, a North South mapping exercise was undertaken during October and November 2017 between the EU Article 50 Taskforce, with the support of Irish officials and the UK, to map out areas of co-operation that operate on a North South basis on the island of Ireland. It highlighted just how broad-ranging and varied that co-operation is. The exercise demonstrated the extensive range of co-operation that happens, under the formal auspices of the North South Ministerial Council, including through the work of the six Implementation Bodies; between Government Departments in non-NSMC areas; and between agencies, regulators and other Government bodies. The co-operation is interconnected, mutually supporting and complementary.
North South co-operation brings very tangible benefits to the daily lives of people and, in particular, to those living in the border regions where it contributes to improving economic opportunity and development. It is also a very practical outworking of the peace process which allows for the normalisation of relationships between people across the island, to our mutual benefit.
European Council Meetings
Ceisteanna (100, 106)
Micheál Martin
Ceist:100. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the ongoing war in Syria will be discussed at the December 2017 European Council. [52911/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Darragh O'Brien
Ceist:106. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the situation in Syria; the efforts being made at EU and international level to bring a resolution to this conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52818/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 106 together.
The situation in Syria continues to be one of utmost concern. The conflict, which is now in its seventh year, has cost an estimated half a million lives. Over 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including close to 3 million people trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. Over 5.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. An end to the violence is urgently needed in order to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people.
The UN is leading political negotiations to end the conflict based on the 2012 Geneva Communique and UN Security Council resolution 2254, which calls for an end to violence; release of political prisoners; formation of a transitional governing body with executive powers and a constitutional reform process. The eighth round of these talks is currently underway in Geneva. Ireland fully supports this process and the work of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
The EU provides direct assistance to the UN-led Geneva peace talks and has launched, in coordination with the UN, an initiative to develop political dialogue with key actors from the region to identify common ground. The EU Syria Peace Process Support Initiative aims to facilitate the peace process, build the capacity of opposition parties and contribute to dialogue with civil society in support of the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Syria.
Ireland and the EU also provide support, including financial support, to a broad range of mechanisms to ensure legal accountability for all war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria as part of a sustainable peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Through our annual contributions to the EU institutions Ireland also supports the EU’s humanitarian response to the crisis, from which €445 million was contributed in 2016 alone. The EU and its Member States have together mobilised more than €9.4 billion for humanitarian and resilience assistance to support Syrians inside the country and in neighbouring countries, making the EU the largest single donor to the effort. At the Brussels conference in April 2017 which was co-hosted by the EU, a further €3.7 billion for 2017 was pledged by the EU and its Member States, representing nearly 67% of the pledges. The EU will host another donors’ conference for Syria in 2018. Since 2012 Ireland has contributed over €90 million to the international humanitarian response to the Syria crisis, including €25 million this year. This is our largest contribution to a single crisis in recent years.
Syria is not currently on the agenda for this week’s European Council, however at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels yesterday, EU Foreign Ministers discussed the regional situation in the Middle East, including of course the urgent need for progress towards peace in Syria.
Middle East Peace Process
Ceisteanna (101, 108, 115)
Micheál Martin
Ceist:101. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the recent declaration by President Trump of the United States on Jerusalem being the capital of Israel will be discussed at the December 2017 European Council meeting; and his plans to ensure that Ireland's objections to this declaration will be made known. [53227/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Seán Crowe
Ceist:108. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the reports that the American Government may move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (details supplied); his views on the plans to move the embassy to Jerusalem; and if he has raised concerns regarding this development with the United States Government. [52824/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraDarragh O'Brien
Ceist:115. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the impact of President Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; the impact he views this will have on the peace process; the actions the Government and the European Union will take in view of this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53209/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 108 and 115 together.
On 6 December I issued a public statement on the announcement by the US Government about Jerusalem, which was as follows:
“Jerusalem is one of the permanent status issues which is to be settled in a final peace agreement in the Middle East.
It has been the united position of the international community for decades, as set out in UN Security Council Resolutions, that a resolution of the Middle East conflict will include agreement for Jerusalem to be the capital of both Israel and the future state of Palestine. If the peace negotiations are to be successful, this will happen at the end of the process, when the full set of compromises has been worked out.
The dangerously heightened tensions in Jerusalem in recent years have also underlined the need to avoid any unilateral actions to alter the status quo in the city.
I believe therefore that today’s announcement by the United States in relation to Jerusalem is premature and ill-advised, and will be unhelpful to efforts to reach a resolution of the Middle East Peace Process, something which is very urgently needed. I conveyed to the US Government yesterday my concern about reports of US intentions, and I know that very many leaders around the world did the same. Today’s announcement is thus very disappointing and difficult to understand.
Ireland remains fully committed to supporting both parties to reach a peaceful, negotiated solution to the Middle East Peace Process, something which is essential for Israel to secure its future, and for Palestinians to enjoy their full political rights.”
The EU’s High Representative, Federica Mogherini, has restated that ‘the aspirations of both parties must be fulfilled and a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states.’ I strongly support her words, and I believe that, despite this disappointing announcement by the US, the EU should redouble its efforts to help the parties to make progress towards a peace settlement. At the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday, we had a wide-ranging discussion on the Middle East, which of course touched on the worrying impact of this US announcement.
Brexit Negotiations
Ceisteanna (102, 103)
Micheál Martin
Ceist:102. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the regulatory alignment proposed in the latest draft of the EU-UK deal; if this will result in the exact same rules being applied both north and south of the Border; if not, the areas it will not apply to; if these particular areas are known; and if there is research being done on the areas it will not apply to. [53223/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMicheál Martin
Ceist:103. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the added wording to the latest EU-UK deal; and if there is change to the substance of the 4 December 2017 draft. [53224/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.
It has been the Government’s consistent position that the best possible outcome for Northern Ireland would be for the UK to stay in the Single Market and Customs Union. However, this is ultimately a decision for the UK and, as of now, the UK government’s stated position is that they will leave the Single Market and Customs when leaving the EU.
At the request of the EU and UK Coordinators for the High Level Dialogue on Ireland/Northern Ireland, officials carried out detailed work over October and November to map out areas of co-operation that operate on a North South basis on the island of Ireland and which rely on EU law and policies. The exercise underlined the importance of maintaining full alignment with the rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union necessary to continue and develop meaningful North South co-operation. Through the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, North South co-operation has made a hugely important contribution to the improvement of people's lives on this island. We want to ensure that this co-operation can continue in a meaningful way.
In the joint EU-UK report on progress issued last Friday, the UK asserts its commitment to protecting North South co-operation and to avoiding a hard border. The agreement not only provides a guarantee that there will be no hard border in any circumstances, it spells out for the first time how this will be achieved. In the event that it is not possible to resolve the border issue as part of a wider EU-UK future relationship agreement, which has always been the Irish Government’s preference, or through specific solutions, paragraph 49 of the report states out that, “in the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South co-operation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 agreement.” It has also been agreed that any agreements put in place will be accompanied by effective mechanisms to ensure implementation and oversight.
The EU and the UK agreed that, in the next phase of the negotiations, work will continue on the detailed arrangements required to give effect to the principles and commitments that have been made. In this regard, the Government will continue to support the EU Taskforce, including its work to protect the broad and varied range of North South co-operation to ensure that its development can continue after the UK’s departure from the EU.
With reference to the Deputy’s question concerning added wording to the EU UK joint report, all of the substance that has been agreed was on the table on Monday last, including the guarantee by the UK on avoiding a hard border and its detailed commitments on how this will be achieved.
North-South Implementation Bodies
Ceisteanna (104)
David Cullinane
Ceist:104. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the definition of the all-Ireland economy as used by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52684/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The term “all-island economy” stems from a Comprehensive Study on the All-Island Economy, which was launched by the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference in October 2006. This Study set out an ambitious range of strategies and collaborative actions aimed at maximising the competitive advantages of the island of Ireland, developing initiatives designed to boost economic activity on the island, and eliminating market distortions arising from the existence of the border.
These included intervention in the education and training systems to enhance human capital; intervention to support research and innovation and the development of the knowledge economy; co-ordinated provision of key infrastructure; enhanced co-operation in the provision of health and educational services; enhanced co-operation in the provision of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure; and an improved regulatory environment.
It was also envisaged in the Study that, in the area of infrastructure, more joined-up planning and delivery would give better outcomes for people throughout the island.
In the intervening years, significant progress has been made in these sectors, including through the work of the North-South Bodies such as InterTrade Ireland and Tourism Ireland, and there are also strong business linkages between North and South.
I believe that the potential for trade and economic activity across the island of Ireland has not yet been fully tapped and that there is scope for increasing the levels of trade in both directions. In support of this, and particularly in view of the challenges presented by the UK exit from the EU, we clearly need to assist our SMEs in whatever ways we can. This in turn can safeguard jobs, and encourage cross-border investments. InterTrade Ireland, for which the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation has responsibility in this jurisdiction, is doing excellent work in this area.
It is clear that it is more mutually beneficial to work together rather than separately, and the development of an all-island economy is in everyone’s interests.
An all-island approach has already proved very successful in the Tourism sector, where Tourism Ireland has successfully marketed the island throughout the world. In the energy sector, the successful joint venture between Eirgrid plc and System Operator Northern Ireland (SONI) Limited has led to the Single Electricity Market – a wholesale electricity market operating across the island.
With the continuing absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive, the North South Ministerial Council cannot operate and bring together the Government and the Executive to oversee ongoing North/South work and further develop co-operation, as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. This is a most serious absence, and particularly so at a time when the Council should be continuing the work it commenced last year to deal with the challenges of Brexit. Common Principles were agreed at the Plenary meeting of the NSMC in November 2016, to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive to deal with the challenges that are raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit from the European Union. We should be working together on this through the North South Ministerial Council.
In this regard, the Government is continuing to work with the British Government, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, to support the effective operation of all of its institutions, including the NSMC.
Middle East Issues
Ceisteanna (105)
Darragh O'Brien
Ceist:105. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council; his further views on the announcement of a new political and military alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52817/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As I have stated previously in this House and elsewhere, the situation between Qatar and its neighbours is a matter of concern.
Ireland strongly supports regional cooperation and dialogue, and believes that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) makes a contribution to the stability of the wider Arab region. First and foremost, the relationship between Qatar and the other Gulf countries is an internal GCC matter, although it has wider regional and international implications.
I note with regret that the recent meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council which took place on 5 December in Kuwait ended early, without the full schedule of meetings occurring.
Ireland, like all EU Member States, has interests in the crisis in so far as it has the potential to impact on citizens, commerce and regional stability. In tandem with our EU partners, we continue to encourage mediation to resolve this crisis, and we welcome and fully support the efforts of Kuwait in this regard. It is my hope that these efforts will continue, leading to a de-escalation of the tensions, and an early resolution, which is in the interests of the whole region.
As regards Saudi Arabia-UAE military partnership, given that both countries are currently engaged in military activity in Yemen, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my deep concern about the situation there, the suffering of ordinary people there, and the humanitarian crisis which the war has triggered. The ongoing fighting is having devastating consequences for civilians, with credible allegations of violations of international humanitarian law, which all parties to the conflict must respect. Ireland will continue to press for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen, respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, and improved humanitarian access to those in need.
Question No. 106 answered with Question No. 100.