The relationship among Ireland, Northern Ireland and the European Union could change drastically at the end of this month, when the United Kingdom is scheduled to divorce itself from the EU. A prominent member of the Irish government will discuss the impact of that “Brexit” in a presentation next week on the University of Colorado Boulder campus.

Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Ireland’s minister of state for higher education, will discuss “Ireland, Brexit, and the Future of the EU” on Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m. in Room 305 of the Wolf Law Building on campus.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. 

"Minister O’Connor is particularly well-placed to discuss the latest developments relating to the process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, known as ‘Brexit,’” said Felicia Martinez, executive director of the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence at CU Boulder, which is sponsoring the event.

Martinez noted that Northern Ireland has become the main stumbling block for the UK and the EU reaching an agreement on Brexit. 

Martinez added: “At stake here is not only the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, including the potentially disastrous economic and political consequences of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, but also the future of the Northern Irish peace process, which ended decades of violence in the region."

The Colorado European Union Center of Excellence aims to foster links between the United States Mountain West and the European Union by promoting mutual understanding and engagement among students, educators, researchers, policymakers, business and legal practitioners, and the general public.