- - Ireland will enter the Brexit negotiations well prepared & with a clear understanding of its priorities
- - Populism provides no answers to the problems of the EU & its Member States
- - Wide ranging speech covers Syria, Ukraine & the Migration Crisis
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan TD, has said that once Article 50 is triggered, Ireland will enter the negotiations “on the EU side of the negotiating table, well-prepared, and with a clear understanding of what our priorities are”.
In a wide ranging keynote speech to the EMI, he discussed the challenges facing Europe, including the rise of populism, the migration crisis, the conflict in Syria and the situation in Ukraine and firmly reiterated Ireland’s commitment to the European project.
In regard to Ireland’s core priorities, Minister Flanagan stated:
“In my discussions with EU counterparts in the last six months in particular, there has been reflection on the consequences of a sense of disconnect between the EU institutions and the citizens of Europe. I, and many others, have emphasised the importance of a dialogue that reflects honestly on the EU’s successes and failures. The Irish Government is committed to safeguarding and promoting Ireland’s place at the heart of Europe. Some of the challenges presented by Brexit are unique to Ireland, particularly in relation to the Common Travel Area and Northern Ireland. The contribution of the EU to the success of peace in Northern Ireland is often unacknowledged as much of the EU’s work took place quietly behind the scenes – helping to achieve the Good Friday Agreement and underpinning peace. Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, there can be no disruption to the stability and peace that has, happily, become a day-to-day feature of life in Northern Ireland. And I was pleased to see Michel Barnier acknowledge as much in his comments to the media last week.
“A key part of our preparations is to ensure that our priorities are heard and understood in the capitals of Europe. I’m satisfied from my own contacts with each and every Foreign Minister throughout Europe, that there is an appreciation that Ireland has a bigger stake in the outcome of the negotiations compared to other EU Member States. But I am confident that we in Ireland and in “Team EU” will be ready for the negotiations.”
On the current situation in Syria, he said:
“Last Monday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council had an extensive discussion on the crisis in Syria and the horrifying situation in Aleppo in particular. What we are witnessing is the extinction of an entire country to preserve the absolute rule of its tyrannical leader. We agreed that the EU must press Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Assad regime to ensure that the illegal siege of the civilian population in eastern Aleppo ends. The continued denial of essential food, shelter and medical supplies to a civilian population under military attack is intolerable. In this context, Ireland is again increasing our humanitarian support to the victims of the Syrian conflict, raising our support by a further €5M to €25M in 2016. ”
Referring to the rise of populism, Minister Flanagan said:
“We must be aware of and prepared to counteract the rise of populism across Europe. The reality is that governments are generally faced with difficult choices – there are no easy solutions to the complex problems we all face domestically or internationally. I believe it will become clear to electorates that populism is an empty formula. Those of us who are willing to make hard decisions must also be willing to explain clearly the basis for such decisions. My own party lost a number of seats in the last General Election, as did our former coalition partners. However, we retained a core of support and I believe that was a recognition that we did our best in very difficult circumstances to govern for the benefit of the people by addressing the huge economic catastrophe that had engulfed our country. I want to pay tribute to the people of Ireland for their resilience during very difficult times. I think we must acknowledge that while we did not always get it right as a government, we did succeed in delivering on our core aims – exiting the bailout, bringing the economy back from the brink, and creating jobs and opportunities for our people. There are many challenges ahead, but we are working hard to meet them.
“Many of the challenges we face are common challenges. And I am grateful for the forum of the EU to find some common solutions to these challenges. We know that the EU is not perfect: but from Ireland’s perspective the key point is that membership provides the opportunity to shape and influence the EU, to improve the way it does business and to get more done for each and every one of the Union’s 500 million citizens.
“We only need to look back to the Europe of over 60 years ago to see how far we’ve come as a continent in respect of peace, stability and prosperity.”
Praising the work of the European Movement Ireland, he said:
“I have long admired the work of the organisation. Indeed, its founding members – Garret Fitzgerald, Declan Costello and Michael Sweetman – were all well known to me personally. I hold these three public servants in very high regard and I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their vision in identifying the value of an organisation like this and dedicating themselves to its success.”