EU needs to prepare for a referendum on Irish Unity – Lynn Boylan MEP and Kathleen Funchion MEP

Sinn Féin MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion have emphasised the need for the European Union to put in place the preparatory work now for constitutional change on the island of Ireland.

MEPs Boylan and Funchion both stressed that the Dublin government needs to get off the fence and engage with the conversation on Irish Reunification, which is taking place in public and private forums across the island of Ireland and beyond.

The Sinn Féin MEPs were speaking after a conference they hosted on Irish Unity in the European Parliament, which was in collaboration with the Commission on the Future of Ireland.

Speaking from Brussels, MEP Funchion said:

“The Sinn Féin team in Brussels were delighted to host such a high level event with speakers from across academia, civil society, the world of politics and beyond.

“The message I took from this event was that the preparatory work on Irish Unity needs to begin now, and it needs to begin as a matter of urgency.

“The EU institutions will have a crucial role to play in any future referendum on Irish Unity, and it is incumbent upon them to make clear what financial and political supports they will put in place in the event of a successful referendum, to ease the transition from partition to unity.”

MEP Boylan also highlighted the urgent need for the Irish government to engage with communities and civil society groups across the island of Ireland.

She said:

“Brussels and Dublin have been slow to catch up with where communities are in the conversation around Irish Unity.

“The Dublin government in particular needs to get off the fence and begin preparing for what a new and United Ireland would look like.

“One practical step which we in Sinn Féin believe the Irish government should take is to establish a citizens’ assembly on Irish Unity, so people and communities from across our island can have their say.”