🇮🇪 Ireland's economy in a post-Brexit world | Counting the Cost
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- With the United Kingdom gearing up to leave the European Union, its closest neighbour, the Republic of Ireland could potentially face an economic downturn post-Brexit.
A new report warns that Brexit potentially poses a huge threat to jobs that could cost Ireland billions each year.
"Seventeen percent of our national trade is with Britain, particularly around the food and agricultural sector, so we want to protect that as best as we can," Ciaran Cannon, Irish minister of state at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, tells Al Jazeera.
"But ultimately, if Britain takes a decision to fully leave the customs union and all of the trading arrangements that allow goods and services to flow freely between Britain and Ireland, that is going to pose a challenge, not alone for Britain, but indeed for the whole of the EU," he adds.
The UK is the second-largest destination country for Irish goods after the US, most of its imports come from the UK, and the Dublin-London air route is Europe's most travelled.
And apart from trade, there's another major Brexit-related issue: Ireland is the only country to share a land border with Britain.
"We're a tiny island on the edge of Europe, and post-Brexit we will have the only land border between the EU and the UK. That is a significant part of the consideration on how exactly Britain structures and indeed the EU structures Britain's exit from the EU," says Cannon.
According to Cannon open borders are critically important for the small island nation where agriculture is a huge part of the economy.
"We have farmers producing milk in Northern Ireland in the morning that is processed in the afternoon in the Republic of Ireland. We have that free movement of people and goods back and over across our border which has led to significant economic growth in both those jurisdictions, which has led to peace in both of those jurisdictions. And that is what we're trying to protect here. So people need to be aware internationally how important it is to Ireland that that border remains open, free, and seamless."
Asked about the challenges facing Ireland and the UK's way forward, Cannon says: "While there may be no perfect clarity from the UK government as to how they want to move forward in the approach, we have been nothing but clear as a country from the very beginning. We regret deeply the decision taken by Britain to leave the EU. I think ultimately it'll prove to be a retrograde step for them."
"But on the basis of that decision that's been taken, we have to act and work in Ireland's interest. And when I say Ireland's interest I mean the whole island of Ireland including Northern Ireland because it is critically important that the hard-won peace that exists now in our country that took years of diplomacy and effort on all our parts - it can be at times a fragile one - so that needs to be protected in the context of Brexit and all the provisions of the Good Friday agreement which brought about that peace need to be honoured."
Thankfully, there are significant opportunities for Ireland post-Brexit, according to Cannon.
"Post-Brexit, we will be the only English-speaking common law country in the whole of the EU, and when countries worldwide from all across Asia, the Middle East, the US want to establish a presence for the very first time in the EU in an english-speaking country where it's very straight forward and very easy to do business, we're hoping they'll choose Ireland as that platform to launch themselves into a market for 500 million people, a market that we're fully committed to, and a market where we've already established very strong trading relations."
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Seems that Northern Ireland and Scotland are more prepared to leave the U.K. than England is to leave the EU.
maybe the brits will leave Ireland, when it brexit happens
as long as they give us their tax that is fine :)
@Mark Gable
"...the British Isles"?
No-one in the Republic of Ireland uses that colonial construct.
The Irish government never uses it, and actively discourages its use by any official agency or institution outside Ireland.
The island of Ireland's 'mainland' is continental Europe. In the same way, the UK's 'mainland' is continental Europe.
@Mark Gable Britain is part of the Irish Isles :P
Here you will find out that ireland had better prepared for Brexit compared to the UK who didn't actually believe it would happen so didn't have any actions in place in the event that people voted to leave the EU, if they had the process would have been much smoother.
It was a great day for England
You can only be described as a sad, reality-challenged, eejit...
@@gloin10 brain dead
@@martinlong2804
Do enjoy your forthcoming impoverishment, and the dissolution of the UK.
It is, apparently, precisely what you voted for...
Technically, Ireland is not the only EU country with a land border to a non EU country. Switzerland has land borders with non EU countries and is currently under a lot of pressure over financial arrangements.
4 years on its Britain is suffering not iteland
Because it IS special Byzantine ..a special case , unique . maybe you don't know the history or the "theirstory" as is usually the case..
its not the only one to have a land border, what about spain
Spain and France are part of the EC. If Britain leaves the EC the border between Ireland Britain is an issue . Are you people fools?
@@Ghrainne I think he meant Gibraltar.
Ciaran Cannon, I have Not Heard the President of Ireland, the PM of Ireland or Yourself, Congratulate Britian on Their Decision to Leave The EU. They are your Neighbour, I would have thought you wished a Good Future for them. Mr Cannon, Did I miss the Congratulations or is something else going on?.
@ Chris Griffiths
This is not true. Varadkar and Coveney have on many occasions wished the UK well on their departure from the EU. The President, like the Queen, is limited in what he can say.
It would be odd to congratulate the UK on leaving the EU when it poses such a threat to peace and economic well-being on both sides of the border. It would certainly not go down well domestically.
Former Irish Taoiseach John Bruton, who is very pro-British in his outlook and wishes for Ireland to rejoin the Commonwealth described Brexit as a 'profoundly unfriendly act'.
I think he sums up Irish feelings on the UKs decision very well.
@@taintabird23 Taint, Knowing the Irish as Well as I do. Was the Well Wishes Sincere ?. I Hope So. This Bruton Bloke though, does He Realise Brexit was a Profoundly Intelligent Act. And Yes Absolutely Ireland Should Join the Commonwealth, Brexit does not alter this Possibility. As to the Freedom of Speech of the Irish President, Taint could you please Pass to Him, that No One, No One could have Stopped My Mother from Speaking when She Thought it was Important to Speak, No Matter the Issue. The Irish Spirit is an Amazing thing, Not Fully Realised by you Irish Yet. Go Ireland Go, Go Britian Go. Thanks for the Reply.
@ Chris Griffiths
Yes, it was sincere. Ireland has much to lose from a bad Brexit, but frankly from the moment the result was announced I never heard anyone suggest it was a good idea. Still, we all wish you well.
Nobody in Ireland thinks it was a profoundly intelligent act. It appears that large swathes, of the English population in particular, seem to have had a collective nervous breakdown - that's the perception from Ireland.
I can't see Ireland joining the Commonwealth unless it was part of some deal with Unionists in NI in relation to unity. There's no hostility towards the Commonwealth, its just seen as a fairly pointless organisation.
In Ireland we have a written Constitution which limits what the President says. As it happens, the current President does push the boundaries as to what he can get away with, but knowing his political background and I'm fairly sure he has little truck with the arguments for Brexit either.
@@taintabird23 Taint, Sounds like I better come to Ireland and Convince the Irish that Brexit is a Profoundly Intelligent Act, because it is. Taint, A Bad Brexit is Not Possible, the Biggest Obstacle is a Very Small One and Very Easy to Solve. That Obstacle is an Existing Border in Ireland. The Irish President, The Irish People, can take the Lead on the Border Problem and Offer a Solution. Taint , Your New Constitution sounds Weird, are you Saying that if you were President that you would Stay Silent on Something you thought was Important?. What's the Point of having a President if He or She can't Speak?. Taint, As to the Commonwealth please Reconsider your Opposition to this Group of Nations, many Great Nations in the Commonwealth, New Zealand but One. Go Ireland Go. Go Britian Go.
@ Chris Griffiths
Yes, but you going to have to explain to Irish people why it is a profoundly intelligent act using actual facts rather than perceptions - this is where the Brexiter argument falls down. Both sides lied through their teeth. You also need to understand that the values and insecurities from which people voted for Brexit are carry little currency in Ireland.
You need to explain to me what the difference between a good Brexit and a bad Brexit is to you - I have a feeling we are not using the same criteria.
The Irish have offered a solution on the border but it has been rejected by the DUP - a party which does not represent the will of the majority in NI that would like to at least stay in the Customs Union.
For the Irish government, any further engagement on the subject is risky because of the way PM May keeps flip-flopping on her position, mainly because her primary goal is not Ireland or the UK, but keeping her party from splitting over Brexit.
The Queen is constrained on her public utterances in the political realm - the President of Ireland is no different. The role of President is primarily to ensure the constitution is upheld and is above politics. The Presidents of Germany, Italy and India for example, perform a similar role.
What does the Commonwealth do?
😱 That Accent Though!!! 😱
Jay Kay top of the mornin' to ya!
What's the Craic! 🇮🇪
Shup ta fuq
potatoes
dubplateriddim don't forget me Lucky Charms!
teh four-leaf clover, teh ta, teh ta.
always an ed educated untraveled racist
Oh and viagra
Yes millions died your point is ?
Irexit already give it two years before we cop on ..Good bet lads. Ireland better off out of E.U we aint European. We have more in common in Britain. We are so different to mainland Europe.
With
You're a traitorous west Brit. We're European and if you think you should stick with the Brits and remain dependent on them then move to England.
I am Irish and very much European and that will NEVER change. Proud to be European
Well if you're so anti-european, move to England!
Boston Ma me too!