Some comfort to be taken in EU’s strong stance beside Ireland

BREXIT is a huge concern.

It might not keep everyone awake just now, but God knows, the tedium of the process and the complexity of the negotiations is enough to put most to sleep, but there is great anxiety about what will follow once the dust settles.

For those of us living in the shadow of the border, the implications of a hard border are obviously far more of a concern than for those living in the south of the country.

All sides have been saying the right things about protecting the Irish economy and that there would be no return to a hard border, however how would this finally turn out when the UK wanted to opt out of the freedom of movement of people but want to remain within the customs union.

As a small member state on the fringes of Europe, there was a sense of fear that the concerns of the major powerhouses of France, Germany, Italy and Spain would supersede any Irish concerns and that our particular issues and challenges would be swept aside for the supposed greater good.

Europe and Germany in particular didn’t allow us to burn bond holders in our hour of need during the economic crisis.

Our membership of the European Union did little to protect us then and I for one, had a great fear that again European interests would outweigh Irish interests and that the final solution would not necessarily be in the best interests of Ireland.

If the final settlement suited Ireland as much as Europe that would be more of a happy accident than by design.

However in recent weeks the signals coming from European Union leaders in particular have been very encouraging that they will stand firm in protecting Ireland’s interest as a fellow member of the European Union and will not think only of the European mainland.

The comments coming from EU leaders have been very positive that Ireland’s prospects are a key element in the minds of their negotiating team.

It was especially pleasing to hear the comments from Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator during his visit to the border region and Dublin last week.

Addressing a joint sitting of the Oireachtas Committees on European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, Guy Verhofstadt said he wanted to deliver a message of solidarity with the Irish people.

‘What we will never allow is that Ireland will suffer from the British decision to leave the EU,’ he said.

‘ That is a commitment that has been made by the European parliament and by the EU as a whole.’

That very strong message was welcomed by Taoiseach Leo Vradakar in his address to a Dundalk Chamber lunch in the Carrickdale Hotel last Friday.

Brexit is still a big concern for our small island and this locality but hopefully our fellow EU members better protect this time.