Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Vice-President to the committee. His statement that the Commission will be at Ireland's side in the forthcoming negotiations is to be welcomed. His reiteration that Ireland is a very special case is very much appreciated. There is no point going through the difficulties which Brexit poses for Ireland, and the island of Ireland in particular as they are well-known at this stage. There are concerns about the erection of barriers to trade, the creation of a hard Border and the future of the common travel area. Most importantly, there are real concerns about the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.

To respond to the sentiments expressed by the Vice-President, Ireland remains a fully committed, pro-active member of the European Union. We appreciate the many challenges facing the EU, which he has outlined in his short address, and we want to be there to bring forward solutions to those challenges. The Vice-President asks us to be creative. The problem with Brexit will be in coming up with workable solutions acceptable to the other member states, and to the UK. We will work on that and liaise with the EU institutions. I hope that Ireland's particular situation could be dealt with in the initial draft papers brought forward by the Commission, and that our problems in regard to the fallout from Brexit can be dealt with up front in the process.

The Vice-President outlined the threats to the European Union from a rise in right-wing nationalism and populism, the decline in support for the Union and so forth. Would the Vice-President comment on how he sees the Bratislava process unfolding, and what we can all do to ensure that the values which we cherish, represented by the Union, survive and are supported by the citizens of Europe?

In his address Mr. Timmermans mentioned the problems of unemployment, inefficiency, and the European Union not delivering.

I ask Mr. Timmermans to elaborate on how we can increase support for the European Union.