Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Commissioner for joining us today. I appreciate that he has an excellent knowledge of matters pertaining to Ireland given his background in politics here. Although he is now a Commissioner, he is an Irishman true and proud. Setting aside Brexit, the greatest single challenge to this country is the politicisation of the Commission, as seen by its straying into the matter of tax harmonisation. In the long run, the potential damage to the economic foundations on which we have built our State is far greater from that development than from Brexit. The misguided approach taken by one of Mr. Hogan's colleagues on the Apple tax case shows there is very much a politicised way of thinking on this topic within the Commission. I am interested in how Mr. Hogan views the Commission's stance in these matters and its straying into what is a national issue, namely, the right to set taxes.

There is a concern about how representative of the directly affected member states are the various subgroups and negotiating teams within the Commission. It is very important that Ireland has the strongest possible voice in the Brexit negotiations. If this were happening on the far side of the Continent, with another member state being left as the only one with a land border with a state that was leaving the EU, I cannot envisage a situation where there would not be direct involvement by a representative of the affected state in the process of negotiations with the departing state. Reporting-back processes are all well and good but there is not yet sufficient recognition within the EU of the effect of creating this border. Mr. Hogan made a very interesting observation in his opening statement, namely, that only no Brexit can maintain the current Border situation. If that is the Commission's view, it is a very worrying one. There will be an impact on the island of Ireland in so many ways, including import-export practices, free travel and all the things we value as an island nation. That impact cannot be overstated. I am very concerned there might not be a willingness to accept the need for a special consideration in respect of Northern Ireland in the negotiations. I accept there are conflicting views among member states regarding federalism, regional autonomy and so on. However, the case regarding Northern Ireland must be heard by the Commission.

In terms of the Commission's dealings on trade, I agree with Mr. Hogan that we are an open trading country and stand to be a principal beneficiary of trade deals. However, recent events in other member states have clearly shown there is a disconnect between the way ordinary people see the European Union now and how it is seen by senior people within the institutions of the Union and by members of the Commission and the Parliament. That disconnect very often has to do with how financial and trade policies are not only developed but portrayed and the impact they have on people's everyday lives. The Commission has singularly failed to communicate the benefits to citizens of living within the European Union. We are very much at risk of putting ourselves in a situation where what is perceived as the interest of the European establishment does not correspond with the interest of its peoples.

That is one of the greatest threats to the European project and it ties into my last point. We are very much focused at this time, and rightly so, on the impact on Ireland of Brexit. However, the reality is that the negotiations conducted by the EU with the UK, if not done correctly, could ultimately lead to the dissolution of the EU. If we are left with a situation whereby the UK seems better off materially in almost every way by leaving the EU, there will most likely be a domino effect as certain other member states seek to follow its lead. I am particularly interested in Mr. Hogan's view on how the Commission can reconcile that problem with our requirement for a recognition in the negotiations of the particular impact on Ireland of the UK's departure from the Union.