Eastwood to travel to Prague to address European leaders on Special Status for Northern Ireland

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood will travel to Prague today to address European leaders and heads of state on his party’s proposals for special status for Northern Ireland within Europe.

The address by the Foyle MLA (pictured), a member of the Party of European Socialists Presidency (PES), is part of an ongoing dialogue the he has had with European leaders through the PES and will take place tomorrow..

Speaking before his departure, Mr Eastwood said Brexit was one of the “biggest economic and constitutional tests” on the island of Ireland since partition.

He added “It’s impact is slowly being revealed and will be felt in stretched public services and in the pockets of hard pressed households across these islands.

“That is why the SDLP continues to fight against Brexit with every ounce of our power and influence in Westminster and at the Assembly.

“And it’s why I’ll be in Prague this week, addressing European leaders and Heads of State about the critical need for special status for Northern Ireland.

“To be clear, it is not my role to represent Northern Ireland’s government in Europe. But we now have no faith in the ability of the Executive to shape our future relationship with Europe in a way that reflects the will of our people. In those circumstances, the SDLP will step up where the Executive has fallen short.

“Tariff free access to the Single Market, the free movement of people across Ireland with no change to borders across the island and continued access to European funding streams. Those are the basic requirements for a special status that begins to address the needs of our people.”

Mr Eastwood concluded: “The Executive and the British Government are out of their depth. The SDLP will continue to rise to the challenge of defending the will of our people.”