Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 September 2020
61. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of the most recent discussion he has had with his British counterpart in relation to the Withdrawal Agreement with particular reference to the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24431/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra62. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of the most recent discussions he has had with parties in the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24432/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 62 together.
An Taoiseach, my Cabinet colleagues and I take every opportunity to engage, as appropriate, with counterparts in Britain and in Northern Ireland, to discuss matters arising from the UK's withdrawal from the EU, including the EU-UK future partnership negotiations, implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Following the publication of the UK’s Internal Market Bill on 9 September, the Taoiseach raised Ireland’s grave concern with regard to the Bill directly with Prime Minister Johnson on that same day. We are also in continuing close contact with EU leaders on this matter and the Taoiseach spoke most recently with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on 13 September. The Embassy in London also continues to have extensive contact with representatives of the UK Government.
On 10 September, Ireland also took part in the extraordinary meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement at senior official level as part of the EU delegation. This meeting was also attended by representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive. At this meeting, the EU and Ireland made very clear to the UK Government our very serious concerns about the UK’s Internal Market Bill. Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic stated after the Joint Committee meeting that, if the Bill were to be adopted, it would constitute an “extremely serious violation of the Withdrawal Agreement and of international law”. He called on the UK Government to withdraw by the end of the month those measures from the draft Bill which are in clear breach of substantive provisions of the Protocol.
We are in regular contact at political and official level with Northern Ireland representatives on a range of issues, including those related to Brexit. I particularly welcome the meeting in plenary format of the North South Ministerial Council which took place on 31 July, the first in over three years. Given the impact that Brexit will have across a range of economic and social sectors and on how we cooperate North South in these sectors and more generally, Ministers discussed the implications of the UK withdrawal at this plenary meeting. The Plenary will be followed by Ministerial meetings across the NSMC’s policy sectors in due course. In July, I also met with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Belfast, as well as with the leaders of the parties, for constructive discussions including on Brexit related issues. I continue to have regular and ongoing contact with party leaders in Northern Ireland.
In all of our engagements with the UK Government to date, we have made very clear the vital importance of full implementation of the Protocol, as agreed. Its negotiation was lengthy and detailed, and it represents a fair and balanced outcome for all parties, with compromises on all sides. It is clear that any unilateral departure from the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement is not acceptable.
Our view is that such a departure could seriously erode and damage political trust in Northern Ireland and between the EU and the UK. It also damages the trust needed to deliver a successful outcome to the Future Relationship negotiations. The Commission has clearly stated that violating the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement would put at risk the ongoing talks.
We call on the UK Government to step back from this deeply concerning approach and to work now to repair the trust that is needed to successfully and faithfully implement the Withdrawal Agreement and Protocol. A positive resolution to this issue is in all our interests.
