Debate contribution: European Parliament Observer Status

Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on 8 December 2025.

MLA

Mr Stewart Dickson

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

8 December 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

European Parliament Observer Status

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5284287

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Principal Deputy Speaker. Maybe we will try to calm things down after the foot-stamping, screaming and shouting that we have just had. The Alliance Party will support the motion today, but, before anything else, let me be clear about what the motion is and is not about. This is not a constitutional matter. Nothing in the motion alters the principle of consent or our status within the United Kingdom. What is before us today is how Northern Ireland secures a level of listening and input into processes that already shape parts of our economy by being able to simply observe. That is not a threat to anyone's identity. It is all about good governance, and it really does beg this question: why do the DUP and their colleagues in the UUP want to use a petition of concern on something that is just as easy as our ability to observe? Our economy, supply chains and regulatory environment remain closely connected to the EU single market. That was the practical outcome of Brexit and the arrangements required to protect the unique circumstances of this region. The Windsor framework and the withdrawal agreement are how those issues are managed on a day-to-day reality. We have an Executive office in Brussels: I hear no calls to have it closed at the same time as there is refusal to have an EU office in Belfast. Those evolving arrangements have created a democratic deficit whereby we continue to be affected by EU law but no longer have a say in the institutions where that law is shaped. We are not on that Commission, and our voice is not heard in the committees that make consequential decisions. We no longer elect Members to the European Parliament. The idea of observer status in the European Parliament speaks to a real desire for Northern Ireland to be seen and heard within the EU's democratic institutions. We need our listening ear and want our perspective in the room, and that is why the Alliance Party supports the motion and the amendment. Until we return to the EU — I am passionate about that and believe that we will return one day — it is important that we continue to have engagement. Observer status is far short of where I and the Alliance Party want to be in Europe. We are proud Europeans. Today's motion is about what might be possible and focuses on what could make progress for us right now. Let us look at the reality. Observer status is reserved for countries in the accession process and has never been offered to a region or third country. Creating a unique category for Northern Ireland would set a precedent for others, with far closer ties to the EU. There is no intention or indication that the European Parliament is considering such a move, and, even if it changed, it would almost certainly require UK Government initiation and European Parliament agreement. However, that does not mean that we should stop aspiring to have those close ties; it simply means that we should put energy into trying to push open a door that is currently closed. If we are serious about addressing the democratic deficit, we need to walk through the doors that are already open to us and work to widen them. One such door is the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA). It is not only the formal forum where MPs, Lords and MEPs meet to scrutinise how the post-Brexit relationship is functioning but —.

No, I want to get through. Northern Ireland already has observer status in the PPA, which is a useful starting point, but there is a catch: the PPA is permitted to discuss only the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, yet so much of what matters to us around the Windsor framework and the practicalities of trade regulation and market access falls under the auspices of the separate withdrawal agreement. Therefore, it makes little sense to keep those issues in silos; in fact, in 2021, the European Parliament suggested that the PPA should oversee both agreements. Let us push for that. Let us get the Windsor framework properly on the PPA's agenda. That would give us a regular, structured opportunity to raise concerns directly with MEPs at the stage when influence is still possible. We can also take other practical steps. The people whom we represent deserve politics that engage seriously with the world as it is. They deserve influence, clarity and a seat at the table —

— where it counts.

759 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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