29 June 2018
No progress at EU summit, Taoiseach needs to act now to protect Irish interests - Mary Lou McDonald
"Since December the British Government has ignored every deadline. The Taoiseach has accepted this British Government bad faith. The approach of the Taoiseach and the other EU leaders has only emboldened the Tory party and their fantasy Brexit, who now believe they are involved in some game of chicken with the rights and interest of all Ireland." - Mary Lou McDonald
No progress on the issues of Ireland and the border have been made at this week's crunch Brexit summit in Brussels.
Leaders of the 27 EU member states, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gathered in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for a summit with British prime minister Theresa May but it ended with no progress being made and the EU critical of the Tory approach.
Following the summit in Brussels, the EU's Chief Brexit Negotiator, Michel Barnier said that "huge and serious divergence" remains over how to deal with the border.
He also warned Theresa May and the British government that "time is short" and "workable and realistic" proposals need to be brought forward as a matter of urgency.
EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said that "quick progress" was needed and warned that the most difficult tasks remain unresolved.
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said the summit ended in failure and added that the Taoiseach also failed to get any clarity on the important issues facing Ireland.
"It was to be a defining moment, when we would see delivery on the commitments made on Ireland in December last year. Commitments that the Taoiseach told us were ‘cast iron’. The Taoiseach now returns to Dublin with no progress, no certainty, and no legal clarity," she said.
The Sinn Féin leader called on the Taoseach to take a harder line with the British government and stand up for the rights of Irish citizens.
"Since December the British Government has ignored every deadline. The Taoiseach has accepted this British Government bad faith. The approach of the Taoiseach and the other EU leaders has only emboldened the Tory party and their fantasy Brexit, who now believe they are involved in some game of chicken with the rights and interest of all Ireland.
“We cannot stop Britain from leaving or prevent them from crashing out of the EU either by bluster or design.
“What the Irish government can do is ensure that Irish interests are protected, the rights of citizens are safeguarded and that our international peace agreements are enforced.
“The Irish Government must make clear that they will not allow the British government to impose a hard border or walk away from the internationally binding Good Friday Agreement," she said.
Deputy McDonald also said the Taoiseach needs to plan for protecting the rights of citizens in a no deal Brexit.
“The Taoiseach needs to stop rowing back from his own deadlines and to deliver on what he described as ‘cast iron’ guarantees. There should be no further negotiation on the future relations until the British Government delivers on the agreement from last December
“The Irish Government and our EU partners must now develop a contingency plan to safeguard Irelands interests, rights of citizens and peace agreements in the event of the British Government refusing to live up to its commitments," she said.
