Vote ‘won’t change’ Good Friday Agreement
THERE will be ‘no change to the status of the Good Friday Agreement’ in light of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said.
The Good Friday Agreement references the European Union 15 times, and recognises the British and Irish governments as ‘partners in the European Union’. It also lays out how the North-South Ministerial Council can consider the ‘European Union dimension’ of relevant matters.
The Government has said however that it will continue to work with the British government and with the Northern Irish executive on the agreement. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said: ‘The continued stability of Northern Ireland remains a priority for this Government. There is no change to the status of the Good Friday Agreement. We will continue to work with the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive as coguarantors of the peace process.
‘The Government will seek to ensure that future EU-UK and Ireland-UK negotiations give priority attention to the Northern Ireland dimension.
‘This includes issues relating to the
border and EU funding. During negotiations we would actively seek to avoid the introduction of any new measures that could negatively impact on the Border region, either North or South.’
A spokesman said that the Government also remains fully committed to further developing North-South cooperation including ‘arrangements for tackling organised crime and criminality and for the development of key infrastructure projects such as the A5, the Ulster Canal and the Narrow Water Bridge’.
Concerns were also raised about the Northern Irish right to an Irish passport, but the Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the entitlements to passports for those born on the island of Ireland or for those claiming citizenship through parents or grandparents, will remain unchanged.
A spokesman advised that ‘it is important that people who are interested in applying take time to get the full facts before they submit an application or to call the Passport Service.’
Those applying have been urged to check the Department of Foreign Affairs website first. A spokesman confirmed that there has been ‘an increase in queries in respect of entitlements to Irish passports today’ but said that reports of queues outside the Passport Offices are ‘incorrect’, and the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork are operating ‘as normal’.
The spokesman said: ‘The Passport Service will closely monitor the situation with respect to the impact on applications and the deployment of Passport Service staff. Figures for applications in June will be released at the end of the month.’