Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Mark Rutte and Micheal Martin Nialll Carson/PA

Deep well of support for pragmatic solution on Northern Ireland Protocol, says Taoiseach

The Taoiseach made the remarks during a press conference with Dutch PM Mark Rutte

LAST UPDATE | 23 May 2022

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said there is “a deep well of support from our partners across the world” for the EU and UK to come to a “joint, pragmatic solution” over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

“Unilateral action will not bring us closer to that goal,” the Taoiseach said.

Speaking alongside Mark Rutte at a press event in Dublin, Martin said he had told the Dutch Prime Minister that industry representatives from Northern Ireland had said the protocol was working for “many sectors”, mentioning manufacturing, meat and dairy industries.

“From my contact in recent days in Belfast on Friday, with European leaders, with the delegation from the US Congress I met this afternoon, I know that the only way we will find a way through the current difficulties on the protocol is through good faith engagement between the European Union and the United Kingdom.”

The EU wants a “harmonious” relationship with the UK, Martin said.

Rutte said he still gets “emotional” about the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and that the protocol not only preserves the agreement but also prevents a hard border on the island of Ireland while safeguarding the integrity of the EU single market.

“I think the EU has shown maximum flexibility,” he said, adding that the Netherlands and the other 26 members of the European Union “fully support” the work of European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, who has been negotiating with the UK on how to tweak the protocol.

embedded267074973 Mark Rutte during the press conference at Farmleigh in Dublin Niall Carson / PA Niall Carson / PA / PA

“We will keep on working with him and his team to make sure that we somehow find a way out of this,” Rutte said.

“But if this is not possible, we also have to take our next steps and think about those. I don’t want to guess as to what they could be, because I don’t think that is helpful, but I think Boris Johnson and the UK know very well what the next steps could be. Let’s hope we don’t come to that.”

It comes as a delegation of senior US politicians met with Martin today as part of a fact-finding mission that has seen them travel from Kerry to Dublin before a visit to Belfast.

The nine-strong delegation arrived in Europe last week and held talks in Brussels on the potential trade implications from the UK’s plans to unilaterally change elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The US politicians met Martin in Government Buildings, where they discussed the Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Taoiseach described it as a ”really good meeting”.

The delegation is being led by Congressman Richard Neal who is chair of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. 

Neal is also co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus, a bipartisan group set up to advance the cause of peace in Northern Ireland.

Neal will address the Seanad tomorrow afternoon as part of events surrounding the centenary of Seanad Éireann.

The delegation yesterday met with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Neal tweeted that “good faith negotiations” were key to progress on the Protocol. 

“Thank you Liz Truss for your hospitality and frank discussion regarding our duty to protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland. I urge good faith negotiations with the EU to find durable solutions for post-Brexit trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” he said. 

Neal, who was involved with peace process negotiations in the 1990s, told Politico last week that the Good Friday Agreement “ought not to be held hostage by a disagreement the UK has with the European Union.”

Truss has repeatedly cited unionist concerns over the Protocol as evidence of it being damaging to the Good Friday Agreement. 

Speaking from west Kerry on Sunday, Neal said “whatever challenges that are offered by the protocol, we think can be negotiated”.

“President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and I have made our position known that nothing can jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement,” he told RTÉ.

Coming up to the 25th anniversary it should be celebrated widely, not just on this island, but across the world. 

Yesterday, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson had responded to another US Congressmen and said that implementing the protocol in full would result in “an economic tsunami” hitting Northern Ireland.

Responding to a tweet from a member of the Philadelphia congressman Brendan Boyle, Donaldson said that calling on the Northern Ireland Protocol to be implemented in full was “such folly”.

He said: “Implementing the protocol in full means ending grace periods, with an economic tsunami hitting Northern Ireland. Power sharing only works with cross community consensus.

“There is no unionist support for the protocol. The protocol will destroy the GFA if not dealt with.”

US House of Representatives’ member Brendan Boyle had called on the UK government to “implement fully the NI Protocol, which avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, preserves the integrity of the EU Internal Market, and protects the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts”.

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, warned that the UK could forget about a post-Brexit trade deal if it rewrites the agreement.

- With reporting by Lauren Boland and the Press Association

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
11 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Arthur Callaghan
    Favourite Arthur Callaghan
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:01 PM

    hope she is not too hurt

    254
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Barry Doyle
    Favourite Barry Doyle
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:52 PM

    But you hope she’s a little bit hurt?

    216
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stefan Epure
    Favourite Stefan Epure
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 5:07 PM

    Scary stuff. I once had a Lancer and i had to hard wire the radio and i forgot to tape up the live wire properly it a pot hole and a short melted the wiring loom while i was driving smoke everywhere scary stuff

    41
    See 5 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Canning
    Favourite Tony Canning
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 5:17 PM

    Full stop.

    131
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brendan Cooney
    Favourite Brendan Cooney
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 5:30 PM

    Misleading headline. The car ploughed into the barrier on the slip road and then burst into flames.

    220
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Keogh
    Favourite David Keogh
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 5:51 PM

    Was thinking the same Brendan. Headline seemed to suggest that the car had randomly just burst into flames.

    158
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eddie
    Favourite Eddie
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 8:21 PM

    Hope she isn’t hurt at all

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Rabbett
    Favourite John Rabbett
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 9:30 PM

    Ah lads, The Journal wouldn’t mislead us with a headline…. would they??

    46
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John B
    Favourite John B
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:14 PM

    Slightly misleading headline. It suggest car just spontaneously burst into flames. What appears to have happened is she crashed into barrier at exit; likely driver error. Hope she isn’t seriously hurt. A lesson for us all how drivers need to pay the utmost attention all the time.

    193
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute 3monkey
    Favourite 3monkey
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:22 PM

    What’s the lesson derived from this accident for all us other drivers then ? You must have all the facts ?

    33
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute #Wynner
    Favourite #Wynner
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:30 PM

    Smoke might have blinded her view hence crashing into barrier

    38
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Moran
    Favourite Dave Moran
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 4:33 PM

    A lot of assumptions. …?

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John B
    Favourite John B
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 7:03 PM

    3monkey perhaps you can’t read. My message was the importance of paying attention when driving.

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute 3monkey
    Favourite 3monkey
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 9:15 PM

    Well I never !!

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan landers
    Favourite Alan landers
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 6:40 PM

    Women drivers

    61
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mad Mike
    Favourite Mad Mike
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 10:56 PM

    A woman spontaneously burst into flames on the M50? Mad.

    Now, I’m off to speed read some more articles and post some snappy but insightful comments.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute captain morgan
    Favourite captain morgan
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 8:10 PM

    Barrier blinded her an she crashes into the smoke

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Martin Donovan
    Favourite Martin Donovan
    Report
    Sep 13th 2014, 5:27 PM

    Cool

    12
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds