Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2018
23. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of his negotiations, particularly those relating to the Border region of counties Cavan and Monaghan, in view of Brexit and the possible reintroduction of a hard border. [3638/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government’s priority of protecting the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and the gains of the peace process, including avoiding a hard border on this island, has always been clear. In this regard, the Government welcomed the decision of the European Council on 15 December 2017 that sufficient progress had been made in phase one of the Article 50 negotiations. In phase one we secured concrete commitments on the protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and the gains of the peace process. We have also secured clear and strong commitments on avoiding a hard border and the UK has set 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, the UK has committed that “in the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy, and the protection of the 1998 agreement.” It has also been agreed that any arrangements put in place will be accompanied by effective mechanisms to ensure implementation and oversight. The importance of avoiding a hard border to people living in all the border counties, including Cavan and Monaghan, cannot be underestimated and the Government is acutely conscious of this. The North South cooperation we enjoy today brings tangible benefits to the daily lives of people in the border region and contributes to 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 mutual benefit. It is for these reasons that there cannot be a return to border infrastructure of any kind on this island.
It has been agreed that the Irish specific 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 and that work will continue on how to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process and avoid a hard border, based on the agreements reached in phase one and in parallel with the wider negotiations on scoping out the EU’s future relationship with the UK. It has also been agreed to start drafting the relevant parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, which is an important next step as the Agreement will be legally binding and will reflect the principles and commitments agreed in phase one.
As a committed member of the EU, Ireland has engaged fully in the negotiations, as part of the EU27 team and will continue to do so in phase two.
