Ireland must prepare contingency plan if UK opts out of EU, Dáil debate hears

Concern about the UK’s future in the European Union weighed heavily with TDs during a Dáil debate to mark Europe Day, which aims to mark peace and unity in Europe.

Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesman Brendan Smith warned that it would be an "absolute nightmare" if Ireland was a member of the single market and Britain was not".

As British voters went to the polls yesterday, Mr Smith pointed to the Conservative Party’s pledge to hold a referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the EU, to take place by the end of 2017.

The Cavan-Monaghan TD said Britain would have to leave the single market if it left the EU.

“We do not want customs posts back in south Ulster and along part of Leinster and Connacht. That would be a nightmare from the point of view of trade, commerce and developing business.”

Calling for an “essential” contingency plan to be developed in case the UK opts out of the EU, he said the plan would have to outline policies to lessen the impact on Ireland’s economy, its position in the EU and is overall relationship with Britain.

Contingency plan

Louth TD Séamus Kirk (FF) said Ireland would be “extremely exposed” if Britain opted out of the EU. Supporting calls for a contingency plan, he said “our trade with Britain was clearly important in the process of economic recovery over the past three or four years”.

Mr Kirk said Ireland and Britain trade over €1 billion worth of goods and services every week. “Almost 200,000 people in Ireland are employed as a result of our exports to the UK”, and 43 per cent of Irish exports, €6.8 billion, go to the UK.

He said the reintroduction of controls between the Republic and the North would have a disastrous impact on Border counties.

Independent TD John Halligan said Ireland, more than any other country, wanted Britain to stay in the EU. Yet the "undermining of the core of the union, stripping away consumer and worker protections and restricting the ability to address clear problems in the union would be too high a price to pay" to keep the UK in the EU.

Minister of State Dara Murphy said regardless of who formed the next UK government "we will continue to put the case to our British friends as to why our particular and shared interests are best served with Britain playing a leading role in the EU".