Today (17 October), CBI Northern Ireland Regional Director, Angela McGowan, appeared before the House of Lords EU Select Committee to discuss the potential impact of leaving the European Union on the regional economy.
Alongside representatives from InterTradeIreland and the NI Food & Drink Association, Angela set out the key concerns of business, including: the continued free movement of people and goods across the island of Ireland; securing continued access to EU markets; and, securing businesses’ ability to hire talented employees from across the EU to plug skills gaps in their workforces.
Commenting, Angela said,
“Northern Ireland is uniquely exposed to the type of structural changes that could be triggered by Brexit – especially if it is a ‘hard’ exit. It is therefore vital that our unique interests are understood and addressed by the UK Government during the upcoming negotiations.”
During the session Angela set out business’ key principles for the forthcoming UK-EU negotiations:
– Keeping barriers to the movement of people and goods across the island of Ireland as low as possible
– Retaining the ease of UK-EU trade that businesses get from the single market by keeping tariff free and non-tariff barriers as low as possible
– Balancing regulatory equivalence with the EU with flexibility and influence over the domestic environment
– Ensuring the UK’s migration system allows companies to access the people and skills that they need, while recognising public concerns
– Developing a clear strategy for international trade and economic agreements
– Protecting the economic and social benefits of EU funded projects
Concluding, Angela said:
“To ensure the nuances of Brexit’s implications on the regional economy are understood and represented in the negotiations, representatives from Northern Ireland should be involved from the start. The Executive should be able to nominate a senior civil servant to work in the Department for Exiting the European Union to provide on the spot guidance and act as a liaison point for the business community.”
