MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AT BREXIT CONFERENCE
A hard border is something which the Irish government will never accept again, Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs stated at the Post Brexit International & Cross Border conference in the Carrickdale Hotel.
He said ‘ the UK decision to leave the European Union poses unprecedented challenges for the shared peace and cooperation we have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, on the island of Ireland.’
While they wished that wished the UK hadn’t voted to leave, they had to accept the reality of the result, however narrowly it was decided.
He outlined that the Irish Government had prioritised protecting the Good Friday Agreement and the gains and benefits of the peace process as one of its headline objectives. ‘ This includes protecting North South cooperation, which is at the core of the Agreement, and of course ensuring that there will be no hard border or border infrastructure of any kind on the island.’
And he assured the huge attendance at the conference that Ireland had received and continued to receive ‘unstinting support from our EU partners around these objectives’.
‘ The immeasurable disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods that a hard border would cause - and the damage to the economy and to both business and community relationships - is not something we are ever willing to accept.
He called on the British Government to honour the commitments which had been agreed at the beginning of December, which saw the UK committing to maintaining full alignment with those rules of the Customs Union and Single Market which support the Good Friday Agreement, North South cooperation and the all-island economy.’
He was also pleased that the Common Travel Area was protected in the December agreement, allowing Irish and British people to continue to travel, live, work and access a range of rights and benefits on both sides of the Irish Sea.
‘In terms of the framework for the future relationship, we have been candid for months now as to what we wish to see - the closest possible relationship, one which allows Ireland and Britain’s €65 billion trading relationship to continue.’
He called for the British Government to put aside the ‘previous red lines and tough talking points, so that they can have ‘a calm and rational debate about what is in the best interests of the people of Britain and Northern Ireland can prevail.’
‘ That deliberation is overdue and the clock is now ticking closer to the time when a decision on future direction is needed. The closest possible customs and regulatory partnership is in the best interests of everyone across these islands and, indeed, across the European Union. He stressed: ‘A strong and well-functioning EU Single Market is essential to economic growth and job creation and to Ireland’s continued economic development.’
As negotiations continue, he said that the Government ‘is fully prepared to ensure the best interests of the people of this island are fully represented and protected as the process continues.’
Mr Coveney said the Government is concerned ‘ that Northern Ireland has now been without a functioning devolved government for more than a year.’
‘ This is not a position that can be sustained for much longer,’ he continued, expressing the view that a new Executive is critical for decision-making in Northern Ireland, for the Peace Process and for ensuring that Northern Ireland’s interests as a whole can be directly and effectively represented throughout the Brexit negotiations.
‘A new Executive will be able to speak for Northern Ireland as the UK progresses its approach to the Article 50 negotiations, and to engage again with the Irish Government through the North South Ministerial Council to address the many all-island issues and concerns that are raised by Brexit.’
It was, he said, becoming clear what impact Brexit would have on the Northern Ireland economy, where the loss of EU membership poses particular challenges for the agri-food, manufacturing and transportation sectors in particular.
The Irish Government was engaging in contingency planning for all possible scenarios, he said among the major steps they had taken were the our Action Plan for Jobs 2017 and the Trade and Investment Strategy. while dedicated measures in Budget 2018 included a new €300m Brexit Loan Scheme for Business, and a €25m Brexit Response Loan Scheme for the agri-food sector.
Referring to the concerns of the business community, he noted that ‘many larger companies are of course concerned about the impact of Brexit on trade in all directions, particularly on an East-West basis. Smaller businesses are impacted disproportionately by unpredictable developments like currency fluctuations and many rely heavily on tariff-free NorthSouth trade and integrated supply chains.’
He was glad to see such a good turnout at the conference by men and women from companies of difference sizes who had come together to learn how to cope with the fall out from Brexit.
‘ This preparedness is vital if businesses and the all-island economy are to prosper into the future,’ he said.