‘Ireland must take hard line with Britain’

IRELAND should take a hard line with Britain to defend its own interests in the European Union, a former EU commissioner warned yesterday.

Peter Sutherland, who is also a former director of the World Trade Organisation and has served as Ireland’s Attorney General, spoke to RTÉ about the ‘economic chaos’ Britain has created and the need to protect the EU as an institution.

‘First of all, Ireland has to recognise that its primary interest is the survival and the prospering of the EU,’ Mr Sutherland said. ‘We are not therefore in a situation of simply looking to find accommodations for the difficulty that Britain now finds itself in.’

He also warned that the UK’s decision to leave the EU could encourage other member states to do likewise. Mr Sutherland said the UK’s actions will be ‘watched very closely’ elsewhere in Europe as anti-EU politicians call on other countries to become sovereign.

In terms of trade, Britain’s new deal could take up to ten years to finalise, which Mr Sutherland believes will benefit the economy here, as Ireland would be more likely to attract foreign direct investment because of its status within the EU.

He added that although it is important to maintain a positive relationship with our ‘nearest neighbour and closest friend’, Ireland’s primary objective should be making sure the European Union does not disintegrate.

‘We cannot ignore the fact that the implications of what has happened will be watched very closely elsewhere in Europe,’ said Mr Sutherland. ‘You cannot simply say, “We are members of a common market but we refuse to be members of the EU”.

‘That carries a cost and a responsibility, and that is the decision that Britain has unfortunately taken.’