Northern Irish Deputy first minister Martin McGuiness said that Britain’s exit from the EU would have a massive impact and would be a “huge mistake from our point of view, given our proximity to the south (Republic of Ireland) and the trading links we have with the south”.
McGuiness told the Financial Times that holding an in/out vote on membership in the EU is like asking Northern Ireland to jump into “uncharted waters”.
The deputy first minister also warned that the senior British coalition partners, the Conservative party, are in danger of “sleepwalking” into a referendum that could bring Britain out of the union.
Northern Irish first minister Peter Robinson also told the paper that he is Eurosceptic but highlighted that a vote to leave Europe would likely damage the local economy.
Furthermore, the biggest nationalist party in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, has usually been Eurosceptic but in the recent years, it has taken a softer approach towards the EU due to the province enjoying the benefits of the bloc’s financial aid.
BGH/AMR/HE
Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/08/312784/n-ireland-warns-against-uk-exit-from-eu/
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