The European Parliament has been urged to include northern representatives in preparation for Irish unity after a Sinn Féin MEP said her party believes the conditions set out in the Good Friday Agreement for a referendum on Irish reunification have been met.

Sinn Féin MEP for Ireland South, Kathleen Funchion, told the British Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations that both governments must now “work with civil society” to outline a clear vision for a united Ireland.

Ms Funchion was speaking in London at a meeting of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly between Westminster and the European Parliament.

She referenced the Brexit referendum campaign, which was marred by misinformation.

“A referendum is coming, and it is my view that this referendum needs to be based on facts. Particularly in the present era, we must do what we can to combat misinformation,” she said.

It emerged this week that more than a dozen MEPs have now written to Roberta Metsola, the parliament’s president, requesting special “observer” status for northern representatives.

In a leaked letter reported by The Telegraph, the group argued that the move “will be keeping the door open to the European project for the people of Northern Ireland” if and when Ireland is reunified.

“We believe that the Union should recognise this unique position and offer observer status to Northern Ireland political representatives in the European Parliament,” the MEPs wrote.

“This would require a request from the UK Government, however, we see no reason why the European Parliament could not indicate its willingness to respond positively to such a request.”

They argued that northern politicians should be granted observer status under EU rules, which allow countries in the process of joining the bloc to send representatives.

Declan Kearney, the Sinn Féin national chairman, said his party had long called for the observer status for the North.

“We also want to see an EU office opened in this region. Our party has repeatedly made the case for both with EU commissioners, diplomats and senior politicians,” he said.

“We are committed to continuing to work with the EU to undo the damage caused by Brexit and ultimately deliver a united Ireland that fully restores our place in the European Union.”

During the Brexit negotiations in 2017, Ireland secured a guarantee from Brussels that the Six Counties still under British rule would automatically rejoin the bloc in the event of Irish unity. An opinion poll conducted in May showed that two in three voters in the region would back reunification in this event.

People born in the occupied northeast are entitled to an Irish passport, giving them de facto EU citizenship.

The region is also bound to the EU’s Single Market rules, which was negotiated to prevent a hard border across the island after Brexit.

“While Northern Ireland remains in the Single Market for goods, its people lack any form of political representation or oversight within the EU Institutions,” the MEPs wrote to Ms Metsola.

“This is despite their inalienable right to a European passport and citizenship, as confirmed by the Good Friday Agreement. Providing observer status would acknowledge their connection to the EU, enhance democratic legitimacy and uphold the principles of the peace process.”

“It would also reflect Northern Ireland’s automatic pathway to EU membership in the event of Irish reunification, consistent with the precedent of German reunification and other acceding countries,” they added.

Momentum has been gathering at an accelerating pace for a border poll since Brexit, when a strong majority of northern voters backed remaining in the EU. The most recent opinion poll, conducted last month, shows that over 60% now want the British government to publish its long-delayed criteria for a border poll.

The Good Friday Agreement states that a referendum must be called by the London government if it appears likely a majority wants a united Ireland.

However, Hilary Benn, the British Direct Ruler, last week ignited condemnation when he insisted that a border poll is “way off in the distance”. He also claimed that “nobody is arguing” for constitutional change, even as a stream of high-profile political statements calling for movement in recent months has turned into a torrent.

The changing attitudes, even among unionists, is coming amid increasing signs that organic, ‘soft reunification’ is already taking place.

Statistics released last week indicate that roughly half of the population of the Six Counties have requested Irish passports over the past ten years, with the numbers increasing rapidly. And it was revealed that Dundalk Institute of Technology is to merge with Queen’s University Belfast to create a single cross-border institution, a historic first for Irish academia.

This week, the leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik called upon the Dublin and London governments to set a “clear timeline” for a referendum on Irish unity.

Bacik referenced one of her party’s founders, 1916 Easter Rising martyr James Connolly.

“Labour is a party of Connollyite Republicans,” Bacik said, “and as leader of a Republican party, I am calling now on the Irish and British governments to set a clear timeline for the holding of a unity referendum.”

She said the party know better than to rush a referendum, but said there was a need for a “clear timeframe” and “respectful and considered debate to start the process of preparation towards a united Ireland”.

“That’s why we need a dedicated government department – to carry out the necessary work of reconciliation and unity planning,” Bacik added.

She said that preparation for a unity referendum should involve a Green and White paper and citizens’ assemblies, alongside “respectful and considered debate”.

“Friends, we don’t want a fourth green field for its own sake,” the Dublin Bay South TD said.

“We know better than to run a referendum in haste – without sufficient preparation, or groundwork.”

Meanwhile, the 26 County justice minister has called for greater engagement and progress towards constitutional change from both his own government and northern unionists.

Jim O’Callaghan, tipped by many as a successor to Micheál Martin as Fianna Fáil leader, said a united Ireland “is an objective that should be pursued”.

“Many unionist politicians in Northern Ireland will not discuss or engage with the issue of what a reunified Ireland would look like,” he said.

“They won’t because by engaging in such a process they put themselves in a position where they probably will be accused of undermining unionism, however, there is an obligation on leaders to engage with potentially significant political developments,” he said.