Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 February 2019
35. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of 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. [9442/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe negotiations on the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union are concluded. On 25 November 2018, the European Council endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement and approved the Political Declaration on the EU-UK future relationship. These were also agreed by the British cabinet. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are now taking the necessary steps to ensure that the agreement can enter into force on 29 March 2019.
The EU27 Member States, including Ireland, have expressed their firm support for the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and that repeatedly affirmed that it cannot be reopened.
The Withdrawal Agreement has yet to be ratified in the UK. Talks are ongoing in Brussels, and Prime Minister May has held numerous discussions with the EU, including with Presidents Juncker on 20 February. However, while the EU has offered to provide additional reassurances on elements of the Withdrawal Agreement that have caused concern in Westminster, any reopening of the text, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, has been ruled out.
The backstop is an essential part of the Withdrawal Agreement, translating the UK’s political commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland into a legal guarantee that will apply unless and until another solution is agreed. This means that there will be no hard border in any circumstances, including in Cavan and Monaghan.
The Government’s priority throughout the Brexit process has been, in keeping with our responsibilities as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to ensure that the hard earned gains of the peace process are not diminished. The Withdrawal Agreement, as endorsed by the European Council and agreed with the British Government achieves this, while also ensuring that the UK’s orderly departure from the EU.
