The result of the recent referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Union was unwelcome and poses major challenges for both. The Irish government, while disappointed, fully respects the decision of the British people.
We, in Ireland, of course, see our future in the EU. The Irish public has consistently been among the most positive in its attitudes towards the EU – and with good reason.
The EU has created the space for Ireland to develop economically and socially following more than a century of underdevelopment. Membership has given us access to the largest single market in the world and, more importantly, has given Ireland a real say in the rules that govern that market.
Membership has allowed us to diversify our trade and build a modern knowledge based economy which provides employment for a better educated and more prosperous workforce.
Membership has allowed Ireland to punch above its weight on the international stage through its ability to influence the foreign policy of the EU. It has also created the space for a more equal society.
There have, of course been difficulties for Ireland over the past 40 years. EU membership is no panacea. As we are not immune from the wider currents of the global economy, the EU did not preclude us from experiencing the adverse effects of the economic crisis. However, it is difficult to imagine how Ireland could have emerged so quickly from that crisis or could have reached its current level of prosperity if it had not been part of the EU.
In sum, the continued progress and growth of the EU is, for Ireland, a vital national interest. Safeguarding this interest will be central to our approach to the forthcoming negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom. There is a delicate balance to be struck.
On the one hand, it is in the interests of all member states that the UK maintains close links to the EU. Our prosperity is tied to theirs and the belief of the British public that the EU has dealt with the UK in an open and fair manner will create a cornerstone for good relations in the future.
On the other hand, any agreement on the UK’s future relations with the EU should be based on a balance of rights and obligations.
Ireland, as part of the overall EU negotiating team, will play an active role in defining the EU’s approach. Many issues will be common to all member states, though the strength of our economic ties gives Ireland a particular interest. But Ireland has its own unique issues, which are of the utmost importance and will need to be addressed as part of this common approach.
The EU has played a critical role in supporting the still evolving peace process in Northern Ireland. While European funding has played its part, sharing an identity as European citizens has also helped unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland to find a space to accommodate their historic cultural, political and constitutional differences.
We now have, for the first time in centuries, a durable and equitable peace on the island of Ireland. The border between north and south is now almost invisible. Thousands cross it every day to work and to socialise. They do this without impediment.
This is very different from the border that many of us still remember, with customs posts and checkpoints creating divisions between territory and between people.
The restoration of a hard border would be a retrograde step. Any new EU-UK relationship must sustain a lasting peace.
Furthermore, the connections between Ireland and the UK are many and deep. Along with a common language and legal system, the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK has been in existence since 1922 and reflects the close historical links between both islands by allowing the free movement of people to and from both countries since Irish independence. It is important that any new arrangements that may develop between the EU and the UK recognise the necessity for and value of these links.
As we conduct the forthcoming negotiations, it is important that the EU continues to progress its own development. The EU-UK negotiations will be important, but they must not become all- consuming.
An EU that enables growth and is a force for peace in its region and the world will continue to be as important in the future as it has in the past 60 years. By delivering on its full potential the EU can minimise the damage of the UK exit and form the pivot around which all of us can build our future. Ireland will continue to play its part in ensuring that it does so. Building and developing our strong relations, bilaterally and as a member of the European Union, with the UAE and other key partners, will be central to that strategy.
Charles Flanagan is the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
