Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I will ask two brief questions, the first of which is on the transatlantic trade and investment partnership which the Chairman and Deputy Kyne mentioned. How has the Government represented the concerns of civic society in the negotiations, especially about the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement, ISDS, mechanism?

Deputy Byrne referred to the rule of law and the Minister of State mentioned that the EU could not afford to be complacent about hate crimes, xenophobia and other forms of extreme intolerance. If the Article 7 protocol is not invoked or there is a reluctance to do so, how can we prevent EU complacency? It was stated that the proposal would be considered by the General Affairs Council and that a transparent dialogue would be promoted at a political level among member states, but will the proposal ensure that the rule of law is respected? Will the carrot work if there is no stick?