SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has said that Northern Ireland must have representation in the European Parliament, either via directly MEPs or a form of observer status for its representatives.

He was speaking ahead of an SDLP Opposition Day motion on future relationships with Europe on Monday. The SDLP is seeking Assembly support for a range of potential improvements to the North’s relationship with the EU, reflecting its unique status under the Protocol/Windsor Framework, and also as a non-EU region whose citizens are entitled to EU citizenship by birthright. O’Toole will point to the precedents of both West Berlin and Gibraltar as examples where a region not technically part of a member state was entitled to EU Parliamentary representation.

With an independent review of Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements currently expected to follow the democratic consent vote later this year, the SDLP Opposition leader said it was vital that any review not simply focus on east-west trade and the UK internal market, but addressing a range of other challenges and opportunities created by Northern Ireland’s position.

As well as representation in the EU Parliament, the SDLP motion calls for the review of other areas of disruption to cross-border life, including trade in services, issues affecting frontier workers, and to examine others ways that NI residents, students and businesses can benefit from increased participation in EU programmes, such as via an expansion of Erasmus.

O’Toole pointed out that those who opposed the Protocol on grounds of it being undemocratic should be expected to warmly support increased democratic representation in the EU Parliament – where outstanding issues relating to the Protocol could be effectively raised by NI representatives.

South Belfast MLA Mr O’Toole said:

“With the democratic consent motion set to come before this Assembly in the coming weeks, we should use this as an opportunity to discuss the potential that exists within our future relationship with Europe. As the most pro-European party in Northern Ireland, the SDLP is determined to maximise the benefits of our relationship with the EU and so is using Opposition time to make the case for it.

“We must recognise the important protections and economic opportunities that we have gained through the Windsor Framework/Protocol. We cannot ignore that the unique protections required for the North after Brexit has left us the unique benefit of dual market access – and the SDLP has been consistent in championing that position. As well as deriving that benefit, we want to go further in maximising the ways in which our people – who are also entitled to EU citizenship by birthright - can benefit from the widest possible range of other EU programmes.

“Critical to maximising all these opportunities is having our voice heard in Brussels. There are multiple routes to doing this from electing full-blown MEPs to the north having some form of observer status for locally elected representatives. One thing is clear: the anti-Protocol voices who have lambasted our post-Brexit status as undemocratic can hardly complain about the goal of giving us a clear democratic voice in Brussels.

“If we are successful in tomorrow’s motion, we will be writing to the UK and Irish Governments, and the EU, to set out the Assembly’s clear view. And we intend to take this campaign everywhere we can in the weeks and months ahead.”