Mr. Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea:

The Deputy said that the European Commission is not respecting the political process. If I would like to be polemical with the Deputy, I would say that the Deputy thinks that every opinion that is provided upon request of the Irish authorities is an interference with the political process. However, I do not want to be polemical and I cannot afford to be polemical with the Deputy. Nevertheless, I still draw his attention to the fact that the Commission responded to the invitation of the Irish authorities to state our opinion, to be here as witnesses and to be interrogated. The second answer is that we did not change any interpretation of the established practice element or of article 9(4). The situation has evolved in time and the essential element is the fact that that concretely on the ground the practice has changed.