The need to secure some kind of “special status” for Northern Ireland in the Article 50 Brexit negotiations was an argument underscored by Maynooth University Professor John O’Brennan today. Professor O’Brennan was speaking at a special All-Island Civic Dialogue on Human Rights under the Good Friday Agreement, convened by Minister for Foreign Affairs Charles Flanagan TD and hosted by Maynooth University.
The protection for reciprocal rights for Irish and British citizens in both jurisdictions is critical to the functionality of the Good Friday Agreement, Professor O’Brennan said. The protection fostered by the Agreement impacts a large range of issues from pension provisions and child benefit rights to cross-border policing and security cooperation. He said a “Hard Brexit” scenario that does not take into account the unique status of Northern Ireland, particularly when it comes to human rights, would completely undermine the intent of the Agreement.
“One of the key questions pertaining to our discussions today is whether we can maintain the long standing reciprocal rights for Irish citizens in our respective jurisdictions. The Brexit negotiations need to protect the access to services for all citizens,” Professor O’Brennan said.
“It is also crucial that we maintain some role for the European Union in the peace process. It is undoubtedly the case that our common membership of the European Union over more than four decades allowed British and Irish officials to meet regularly on the margins of EU meetings, to develop both trust in and greater understanding of each other, and ultimately to cooperate more closely than ever before.”
The Maynooth University event included participation by approximately 100 representatives from civil society organisations and relevant stakeholders from across the island of Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Flanagan said, “As a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government takes with the utmost seriousness our duty to ensure that all provisions of the Agreement are upheld and secured throughout the process of the UK’s exit from the European Union. This sectoral dialogue is an extremely valuable opportunity to hear directly from experts and practitioners on how Brexit might impact Human Rights under the Good Friday Agreement and how we might respond.”
“The Good Friday Agreement is a shared framework to uphold and to utilise as we work together to manage the implications of Brexit,” added Minister Flanagan.
In opening the conference, Professor Philip Nolan, President of Maynooth University, recognised the importance of an all-island conversation about these issues and said Maynooth University was a fitting location for such dialogue: “The University has long enjoyed a special relationship with the northern part of this island. Our distinguished alumni include John Hume, who played such an important role in the civil rights movement and the peace process. The University also is home to the Edward Kennedy Institute for Conflict Intervention, a leading resource for research and training in the areas of negotiation and peacebuilding. As a University with extensive interests in human rights and social justice, we welcome the opportunity to host such an important all-island dialogue in the hope it can provide meaningful impact on the Brexit negotiations.”
Maynooth University Centre for European and Eurasian Studies
TogglePost-Brexit “special status” for Northern Ireland key to preserving rights of Irish and British citizens
News
Undergraduate Essay Awards - Deadline for submissions extended to Friday May 19th
The Centre for European and Eurasian Studies is proud to announce its second annual undergraduate essay award. The award is open to all undergraduate students across a wide range of departments at the university. The Centre is now accepting submissions (2,000 -6,000 words) from students whose coursework focuses on topics relating to Europe.
Date: Wednesday, 03 May 2017
Eurovision comes to Maynooth
Ar an 11 Aibreán, beidh Ollscoil Mhá Nuad ina ceanncheathrú do Chomórtas Amhránaíochta Eoraifíse ar feadh lae. Labhróidh an laoch Eoraifíse, Linda Martin, ag an gcomhdháil dar teideal The Eurovision Song Contest in a Changing World: Culture, Geography and Politics.
Date: Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Anthony Farrell - Essay Award
We are delighted to announce that Centre member Anthony Farrell is the recipient of the Military Heritage of Ireland Trust’s prestigious annual essay award for 2016, for his essay ‘A Brief Outline of the Development of British Military Pensions in Ireland 1914-1922’. The judges in particular praised Tony’s wide-ranging use of primary and archival sources in telling this story.
Date: Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Maynooth University European Studies students visit Brussels
Maynooth University students recently visited Brussels as part of a programme which facilitates students of European Studies, History, Politics and Sociology to engage with the EU institutions and get to know the EU governance landscape.
Date: Friday, 24 March 2017
Dates for Seminar Series 2016/17 announced
Exciting programme of events ahead in the Spring Semester at the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies
Date: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Post-Brexit “special status” for Northern Ireland key to preserving rights of Irish and British citizens
Maynooth hosts all-island civic dialogue on the implications of Brexit with Minister for Foreign Affairs Charles Flanagan TD.
Date: Monday, 13 February 2017
Event report: The Brexit Referendum: the existential choices facing the UK and its implications for Ireland and the EU
On 26 April 2016, the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies held an afternoon seminar to examine the myriad consequences of a British vote to leave the European Union. The seminar took place 1st floor Seminar Room of the Iontas Building, which was filled to capacity prior to the event’s commencement. It took the format of a roundtable discussion and was moderated by Arthur Beesley, economics editor with the Irish Times. The line-up of speakers represented a range of disciplinary and professional perspectives on the upcoming referendum, consisting of both academic expertise and first-hand insights from practitioners
Date: Tuesday, 10 May 2016
TEPSA – PONT Working Europe Seminar, 4-8 April 2016, Brussels: “EU Asylum and Migration Policies
The Trans European Policy Studies Association, TEPSA organized a five-day seminar on EU Asylum and Migration policies in Brussels on 4-8 April 2016. The seminar was part of the PONT- Professional Training on European Affairs project connecting young researchers and practitioners, and offered first-hand insights into the political dynamics shaping EU asylum and migration policies and the EU’s response to the recent migratory crisis. TEPSA selected 20 participants from different national and disciplinary backgrounds, including Aideen Elliott attached to the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies.
Date: Monday, 09 May 2016
Q&A with Ed Vulliamy (war correspondent with the Guardian/Observer) at Maynooth University
Q&A session with Ed Vulliamy of the Guardian and Observer, moderated by Peter Murtagh of the Irish Times.
Date: Tuesday, 03 May 2016
Conference Report: Bosnia in the Aftermath of the Dayton Agreement, 1995 – 2015: Making Peace or Rewarding War?
Report from our conference 'Bosnia in the Aftermath of the Dayton Agreement, 1995 – 2015: Making Peace or Rewarding War?', held on 18 December 2015.
Date: Friday, 19 February 2016