H.E. Mr. Du?an Matulay:

I thank the Chairman for his invaluable comments which I will pass on to Bratislava. Taking all the comments together, the main topic is Brexit. The negative outcome of the referendum is a reality and we need to deal with it. It is the first withdrawal of a member state from the European Union and it is certainly an unprecedented moment. However, it should also give us the opportunity to ask the question why our citizens are withdrawing their trust in the EU. In our view and in the view of Slovakia, there is no alternative. We hope the Bratislava summit will be an event to kick off a wider political reflection to evaluate the current state of play of the integration project and the future of Europe. The reflection process should continue throughout the next European Council meetings and culminate in March 2017 when we will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The Bratislava summit should provide an impetus for further thinking and, more particularly, for action. The event should be built around the idea of sending a firm signal of the unity of member states, which was also mentioned in several contributions by Senators and Deputies. We expect from the summit a diagnosis of the current state of the EU which, after the UK referendum, is now in a specific situation. We also expect agreement on a limited list of priority areas that will receive particular attention over the next month. We believe it is necessary that the leaders have an informal political debate on the current state of the EU after the UK referendum where they can exchange their views on the situation, its causes and consequences.

In the case of Ireland we clearly see that Ireland has a unique position because of the closeness and the shared history, and that has been amplified in the committee members' statements. Ireland is the only country that has a land border with the UK. We all see this. Slovakia, as a smaller country also, has a lot of understanding for the Irish voice in this debate. It is important to stress that we would not like the upcoming reflection to be only about discussion on more or less Europe, nor about changing the treaty and transfer of powers between Brussels and member states. This reflection should aim at delivering better results for the citizens. Senator Craughwell referred to bringing the EU closer to the citizens and how that might be done.

Concrete projects such as the digital single market can eventually bring this closer.

Deputy Durkan mentioned that roaming charges would be abolished four years from now, but they have certainly decreased. They are currently on the lowest level and we can see light at the end of the tunnel. Concrete projects that we will be able to achieve include those in the digital area and the capital markets union. The latter is a unique instrument which can bring clear benefits specifically to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Deputy Haughey mentioned that Ireland was particularly affected and that this fact should be recognised by member states. It certainly should be, because the EU is a very wide geographic entity. What seems to be an extremely important problem in Slovakia may not be such a huge one here in Ireland, or vice versa. In that sense, therefore, we need to have much more understanding of each other. We should also be able to listen to each other and reflect on our partners' concerns. I specifically want to stress the fact that we are a smaller country. I am not saying that small countries should gang up against the big ones, but there is certainly more understanding and sympathy for each other in this regard.