Irish Green MEPs Ciaran Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan today welcomed the European Parliament’s backing of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The agreement sets out rules covering a number of areas including trade in goods and services, transport, aviation and ensuring a level playing field. It includes a binding dispute mechanism that will allow the EU to respond if the UK again breaches any element of the agreement. Ciaran Cuffe Green MEP for Dublin said : “It’s been a difficult negotiation process. For Ireland, Northern Ireland and Europe, Brexit is not something we wanted to see. The deal voted on today takes us away from a no-deal Brexit. This is now the start of a new and different relationship between the EU and the UK. However, we cannot forget the pressure put on the Good Friday Agreement since the UK referendum was held in 2016. We have seen an escalation of existing tensions and unnecessary strain put on the political structures in Northern Ireland. There is sizable work ahead. Moving forward, all sides must work together to ensure the GFA is upheld and all its parts implemented. And it is vital that the voices of Northern Irish communities are always taken into consideration every step of the way”.Grace O’Sullivan Green MEP for Ireland South said: “Today marks another step in what has been a very long and difficult goodbye. From an Irish perspective, there is little to celebrate in that parting of ways, but I am hopeful that our new relationship with the United Kingdom will be a strong and positive one. Peace on our island is crucial, as is social, environmental and economic stability. Ireland’s offer to fund the Erasmus programme for Northern Ireland is one important way of supporting a spirit of cooperation and I hope gestures like this will form a part of good relations going forward. I want to sound a note of caution, however, when I say it is vital that standards are not sacrificed. I particularly hope we can see an easing of tensions around fisheries and that we can work closely going forward in the way we govern and protect seas and oceans. It’s in everyone’s best interest that we work together in areas including maintaining and improving environmental protections around marine biodiversity”. ENDS.