Northern Ireland protocol
Deputy Richmond asks what Ireland is doing with EU partners as the British Government appears to play politics with the protocol and Article 16. The Taoiseach says the Government is focused on a calm, flexible, solution-based approach and rejects unilateralism.
Once again we are struck by the spectre of the British Government playing games with the Northern Ireland protocol. Unionist politicians are doing it down once again today and Article 16 is being discussed as a political plaything in the lead-up to domestic political conferences. What is the Government doing with our partners in the EU to ensure the British Government meet its legally binding commitments?
Comment on this
The Government remains focused, calm, flexible and in solution mode on the protocol and on the relationship between the EU and UK.
There must be political will on all sides. There cannot be unilateralism, which is the opposite perspective to that of the Good Friday Agreement. Unilateralism is the opposite type of impulse than that represented by the Good Friday Agreement. My sense, until recently, was that the British Government was anxious to work with the EU to get a resolution. European Commission Vice President, Maroš Šefčovič, went to Northern Ireland and met all the parties and had good engagement with them. That was acknowledged by those parties. I had quite a lengthy meeting with him the previous evening. There is a route to getting this issue resolved. It is extremely important that people do not do anything that would further destabilise the situation in Northern Ireland. In my view, the institutions and their stability are paramount.