Minister for Jobs travels to Copenhagen to discuss Brexit
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor this week travelled to Copenhagen to meet with her Danish counterpart and discuss the Brexit chaos
Print31 March 2017
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor acknowledged the triggering of Article 50 as a key step towards the future of the European Union, saying that Ireland has been “preparing intensively” for the negotiations.
“The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is central to this planning,” O’Connor said. “We are ready for the negotiations and will negotiate from a position of strength as an integral part of the EU team. Since the result of the referendum was known, we have made clear our priorities: minimising impact on trade and the economy, protecting the Northern Ireland Peace Process, maintaining the Common Travel Area and Influencing the future of the European Union.
“Through extensive consultation and dialogue,” she said, “we have ensured that these priorities are recognised at the highest level in the EU and amongst other member states.”
The Minister was speaking from Copenhagen where she was meeting her counterpart, Minister Brian Mikkelsen, Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, as part of her ongoing programme of engagement with EU political counterparts on the trade, enterprise and Brexit agenda.
Noting that the EU27 leaders will now meet to agree and adopt guidelines defining the framework for the negotiations, the Minister said: “It is clear that the UK wants a close, friction-free, trading relationship with the EU. That’s a goal we share. It is in all our interests that the UK should maintain the closest possible links to the EU.
“We must, however, remain focused on protecting and advancing Ireland’s interests at every turn,” she added.
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