Enda Kenny has taken a noticeably softer line towards Britain than many other EU leaders at the summit in Brussels.
Speaking on his way into the EU summit, the Taoiseach said the UK should be given time to elect a new prime minister before being pressed to trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which will set the exit process in motion.
“There should be some little time given for the Conservative Party to elect a new prime minister,” Mr Kenny told journalists.
“That has been brought forward by a month and I think that is good,” he said. “That is going to give a sense of stability before the triggering of article 50. And, obviously, the new prime minister, he or she, will have to determine what their thinking is.”
However, the Taoiseach added that free movement of people was a fundamental principle of the European Union, as was free movement of goods and services.
“That has always been a cornerstone principle of the union for very many years, and we stand by that,” he said.
At the meeting of EU leaders, Mr Kenny said he would make the case for Ireland’s national interest in terms of the economy, the common travel area with the UK, and the peace process in Northern Ireland.
“Obviously, the discussions that will take place eventually in respect of the relationship between the EU and the UK would be central to that, and obviously we want to be party to those discussions and those negotiations,” he said.
“I will articulate and our people will articulate very strongly what our vital national interests here are.”
The Taoiseach outlined his position to Ministers at a meeting of the Cabinet early yesterday morning before departing for the Brussels summit.
He told Ministers that during a phone call with British prime minister David Cameron last Friday, the two leaders authorised immediate contacts between senior British and Irish officials to discuss the implications of the referendum result.
It is understood that the exchanges between officials from the two governments will focus on the common travel area and the issues raised for the future of the Border.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who was in Brussels for a meeting of the Alde group, to which his party is aligned in the EU, took a broadly similar line to Mr Kenny, arguing in favour of giving the UK time to formulate a response.
“Space for reflection should be given,” he said. “Notification should be triggered in October, and negotiations should then being with the new British prime minister.
Facilitates access
“Our objective has to be, in my view, to endeavour to have a relationship that facilitates access to the European market,” Mr Martin said.
“That will be the critical point, because a benign relationship between Britain and Europe will ultimately be good for Ireland.”
He also suggested the Government would fully involve the Opposition in the forthcoming negotiations.
“We are calling for almost a permanent consultative framework with all of the parties in the Dáil,” he said. “We should all wear the green jersey here. We will use our contacts in our group and our contacts across the European Union to advocate for Ireland.”
The four Fine Gael MEPs in the European Parliament also followed a conciliatory line towards the UK by abstaining on a resolution that called on Britain to withdraw from the EU as soon as possible. The party’s Dublin MEP, Brian Hayes, said that while Fine Gael was broadly in favour of the resolution passed by the parliament, it did not favour precipitate action.
“It is not in the Irish national interest to trigger an immediate UK exit,” said Mr Hayes.
“We need to take our time and see what is the best way out of this mess for Ireland and the rest of the EU.”
The European Parliament backed a resolution, proposed by the four major political groupings, which called on the UK to respect the wish of a majority of EUs citizens, “entirely, fully and as soon as possible, by officially withdrawing from the EU before any new relationship arrangements can be made”.
The decision was taken by the parliament after an extraordinary plenary debate, during which MEPs also stressed the urgent need for reforms to ensure the EU lives up to its citizens’ expectations.
Aggressive stance
Sinn Féin adopted a more aggressive line in the parliament, tabling a number of amendments to the resolution.
After the debate, Martina Anderson, Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland MEP, said the party amendments urged the parliament to take note of, and respect, the result of the referendum, and to also respect the fact that the North of Ireland and Scotland had voted to remain in the EU.
Ms Anderson insisted that there was now a democratic imperative for a referendum on Irish unity, as provided for in the Belfast Agreement.
