Mr. John Callinan:

It is a fair comment that each member state is first and foremost focussed on its own particular concerns, priorities and issues. There is no doubt but that Brexit has an uneven impact or resonance on the different member states. We have unapologetically said that we believe that we are the most affected, for a variety of reasons, and have engaged on an extensive diplomatic and political campaign to reinforce that. On the other hand, the key point is that the impact and priorities are different. They are uneven, but also different. The further east one travels the more the member states are concerned with the issues of citizen's rights. In some of the countries mentioned they are very concerned about the treatment of their citizens currently residing the UK and want to protect their position.

Certain countries have surprisingly deep trading relations with the UK for historical reasons that might not be immediately obvious at first glance. When we delve into it we discover that there are very deep trading relations between a couple of the countries. The countries that are geographically closest have, for more obvious reasons, strong trade concerns. As we move into discussions on the trade relationship we want to get away from saying that we have very unique issues and move towards saying that we have commonly shared issues, even if they might be of greater significance to us. The senator has hit the nail on the head by saying that each country first and foremost will focus on their own issues. Even when we talk to those countries it is a long, slow process to explain what our particular issues are and why they are important. We get understanding and sympathy at the first stage, but when we start to table potential solutions each member state has the natural reaction of asking whether there is a read-across for them and if there is a similar situation for them. It can throw up the most unexpected of complications that we then have to work through and manage and negotiate.