Brexit: Northern Ireland protocol too strict,
says Leo Varadkar
Irish PM says he understands unionists feel separated
from Great Britain by arrangement and he will be ‘flexible and reasonable’
PA Media
Tue 3 Jan
2023 06.51 GMT
The Irish
prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has said mistakes were made on all sides in the
handling of Brexit, vowing to be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to
solve issues with the Northern Ireland protocol.
He said the
post-Brexit protocol was “too strict” and he understood unionist concerns that
the treaty had made them feel less British.
Varadkar,
who became taoiseach for a second time in December, has become deeply unpopular
within some sections of unionism and loyalism among those who claim he was an
instrumental figure in the creation of the contentious protocol.
“I’m sure
we’ve all made mistakes in the handling of Brexit,” Varadkar said. “There was
no road map, no manual, it wasn’t something that we expected would happen and
we’ve all done our best to deal with it.
“Again, I
look forward to travelling to Northern Ireland early in the new year, meeting
with all the parties, and reaching out to all parties and all communities in an
effort to find a solution.
“One thing
I have said in the past is that, when we designed the protocol, when it was
originally negotiated, perhaps it was a little bit too strict.
“And we’ve
seen that the protocol has worked without it being fully enforced.
“And that’s
why I think there is room for flexibility and room for changes, and we’re open
to that and up for that, and I know from speaking to [European Commission]
President [Ursula] von der Leyen and [EC vice-president] Maroš Šefčovič, that’s
their position too.
“So, we are
willing to show flexibility and to make compromises. We do want there to be an
agreement.
“And, you
know, I have spoken to a lot of people who come from a unionist background in
Northern Ireland over the years.
“I do
understand how they feel about the protocol. They feel that it diminishes their
place in the union, that it creates barriers between Britain and Northern
Ireland that didn’t exist before.
“And I do
understand that and I do get that. But that’s also true of Brexit.
“Brexit was
imposed on Northern Ireland without cross-community consent, without the
support of the majority of people in Northern Ireland, and one of the good
things about the European Union was that it diminished barriers and diminished borders
between north and south and that was a great reassurance to people who come
from a nationalist background in particular.
“So I
understand that there are two sides to this story. A lot of people who are
unionists feel that the protocol has separated them from Great Britain.
“A lot of
people from a nationalist background in Northern Ireland feel that it separated
them from the rest of Ireland.”
Varadkar
said Brexit was a reality and not going to be reversed.
“I accept
that – I regret it but I accept it – and anything we’ve done since then,
whether it was the backstop or the protocol, was an attempt just to deal with
that reality and to avoid a hard border on our island, to make sure that human
rights in Northern Ireland are upheld and there is no diminution of them, which
is really important to me as well, and also that the European single market is
protected, and they’re my firm red lines.
“The
backstop, the protocol, were just mechanisms to achieve those objectives and,
so long as we can achieve those objectives, I’ll be as flexible and reasonable
as I can be.”
Power
sharing in Northern Ireland is in flux due to a DUP boycott of the Stormont
institutions in protest over the protocol.
The
region’s largest unionist party has insisted it will not return to devolved
government unless radical changes are made to trading arrangements that have
created economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
The EU and
the UK are involved in negotiations to reduce the impact of the protocol. It
remains to be seen if any deal struck by London and Brussels will be enough to
convince the DUP to lift its block on power sharing.
The UK and
Irish governments are keen to see devolution return before April’s landmark
25th anniversary of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace agreement.
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