| September 29th 2016: Minister for Foreign Affairs details Government Brexit plans at British-Irish Chamber of Commerce Brexit seminar |
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| September 29th 2016: At a seminar in Iveagh House, Dublin, the Minister, Charlie Flanagan TD, detailed the ongoing discussions and preparations at Government level around Brexit - with the establishment of a new Government Brexit committee - 'every Government department is affected', he said. He referenced discussions he has held in the US, following addresses to the UN and Fordham university last week. He reported, there is a very high level of interest in Brexit amongst business leaders he had met, and said that although Brexit was a European, indeed global issue, that there was an impressive level of understanding about the special impact on Ireland and trade issues for the island of Ireland. |
Following the recent visit to Dublin of UK Brexit minister David Davies, Boris Johnson is shortly scheduled to visit Dublin for discussions around the process, he also said. | | Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, speaking at the the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Brexit seminar in Iveagh House on September 29th. |
The seminar consisted of a panel discussion, which included former Foreign Office Minister of state Jeremy Browne, and newly appointed special representative for the City of London Corporation to the EU this month. Also speaking were Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, David Carson, leader of Deloitte's Brexit Group in Ireland, Sean Ryan, Evershed's head of Brexit Group, Ireland, and Donal O'Donoghue, managing director of recruitment consultancy Sanderson in Ireland. Moderator of the panel was Pat Leahy, deputy political editor of the Irish Times.
Asked how he would rate the possibilities of different forms of Brexit Jeremy Browne said he thought it would be of a 'medium /semi hard form' on the scale of likely possibilities. He cautioned however that we should not see Britain as 'having left the planet, just the EU'.
Acknowledging Ireland's close relationship with the UK up to now in the EU he expressed hope that the close special relationships would continue, including in a financial services context.
On the overall Brexit process, he said he hoped that the future shape of Europe would involve countries wanting to work together rather than being in forced relationships resulting in conflict.
He said that there was an understandable impulse amongst those remaining in the EU for retribution, and coercion against the UK, but that psychology was hopefully not one that would prevail. It was a negative consequence that he feared.
David Carson, leader of Deloitte's Brexit Group in Ireland, said that the Brexit process was going to be spun out over a very long time, but in time it would, he hoped, result in a positive evolution for the EU itself.
Brexit can be looked at as impacting in three key areas: the movement of labour; access to markets; and the cost of access to markets, he said.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO OF Enterprise Ireland was asked how should businesses at the coalface prepare for Brexit. 'Its not the end of the world', she said. 'Brexit will tend to force companies to do the kinds of things that they should do anyway" she said.
Sean Ryan, Eversheds' Head of Brexit Group, Ireland confirmed that there are already some concrete measures by companies planning to set up in Ireland to avail of the security of passporting, while another, specific instance of a client present in 17 jurisdictions was going full steam ahead , although that had been in place before Brexit, he said.
On the movement of labour theme, Donal O'Donoghue, managing director of recruitment consultancy Sanderson in Ireland, said there had been a huge upsurge of interest in and enquiries about Ireland-based positions from Irish nationals resident in the UK in the immediate aftermath of the vote to leave the EU. |
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