SINN Féin MEP Martina Anderson has welcomed the passing of a joint resolution on Brexit in the European Parliament calling for the north to remain in the single market and customs union.
Speaking during a debate on a joint resolution on Brexit in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Martina Anderson said:
“It is crucially important that we protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts during the Brexit negotiations and I welcome today’s vote in the European Parliament reaffirming the commitment to the Agreement.
“It is a clear indication of the growing support for special status for the north within the EU across Europe.
“Protecting the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts includes the part where the consent of the people of Ireland – north and south – is required to alter the constitutional position of the north.
“It also means being in the single market and the customs union.
“This can be achieved through the north of Ireland staying in the EU or Irish unity, as is provisioned for in the Good Friday Agreement. Otherwise, we are not upholding the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts.
“This resolution is also balanced with regard to citizens rights and is an important step forward in recognising that the needs of the north of Ireland are different to those of Britain.
“I would like to welcome the commitment from Guy Verhofstadt to exploring how to give legal protection to the Good Friday Agreement in the Withdrawal Agreement.” Ends/Críoch
