Matt Carthy MEP, who is a member of the Transport and Tourism Committee in the European Parliament has spoken of his concerns regarding the potential detrimental impact that Brexit could have on the land transport sector.
Carthy said:
‘Recently the President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Verona Murphy, outlined the potential reality that Brexit imposes on the Irish road haulage sector to the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee.
“It is increasingly obvious that Irish road hauliers require immediate certainty – this is a sector with 30,000 jobs which accounts for 2.5% of employment in the Irish economy.
“Over 80% of road freight from Ireland to mainland Europe must travel through the UK.
“The truth of the matter is that with a border in place a truck travelling from Donegal must travel through a border on four occasions before reaching mainland Europe.
“No other EU state, peripheral or otherwise, will face this challenge.
“The EU must recognise that the brunt of the repercussions of Brexit will land on the island of Ireland, who have never voted to leave the EU.
“At an EU level I will raise the need for Irish road hauliers to be granted certainty, so workers can continue to operate without fear.
“The fear that Brexit negotiations will send Irish road hauliers to a cliff’s edge is completely unacceptable.
“The Irish government must demand an agreement that protects the essential all-island element of the road haulage sector to provide stability and certainty to an industry threatened by a reckless Brexit.’
