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Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne TD welcomes the news of a Brexit deal between the UK and the EU.
‘I warmly welcome the conclusion of negotiations today on Christmas Eve, and am relieved that a deal has finally been struck between the UK and the EU. It is a bittersweet day as we never wanted to see Britain leaving, but a Brexit deal is in all of our interests. I understand that the agreement is a compromise and which benefits us all” Minister Byrne said.
Following four and a half years of collective effort, the Government will now carefully consider the detail of the text and will work to put in place the necessary procedures with the European Union to allow the agreement come into force on January 1st 2021.
The journey to this point has been a very difficult one and a debt of gratitude is owed to the negotiating team under Michel Barnier and Ursula Von der Leyen, who worked tirelessly to get to this point. ‘Preserving peace on this island and the all-island economy was a top priority for the EU negotiators and I want to thank them sincerely. I also must acknowledge Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic for the commitment he showed in his work on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and those in Brussels, London and elsewhere should also be acknowledged for their tremendous efforts and contribution to this deal’.
The UK leaving the EU was always bad news for Ireland but the work done on this deal has meant that the negative consequences have been minimised. ‘From January 1st there will be no tariffs or quotas on trade between us. However, as I have stressed all along, big changes are still imminent for our businesses and our citizens. There will be new customs and regulatory formalities, procedures and checks for businesses who trade through the UK and shoppers no longer have the protection of EU law when shopping online from the UK. We in Government will continue to provide information and assistance for business in the weeks and months ahead’.
Minister Byrne concluded ‘it is now time to build on our future relationship with the UK, our closest neighbour, as we in Ireland continue our European destiny’.