Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. Commissioner Šefovi is very welcome to the meeting this morning. We appreciate his time with us today. I listened very carefully to his opening comments and I fully appreciate and accept that he understands the importance of the Northern Ireland protocol. He referred to it as a centrepiece of the Brexit negotiations. He accepts and understands that a mistake was made on behalf of the Commission and that that mistake was colossal and had huge political implications for the island of Ireland, North and South. We hear the Commissioner on that point. What we are still trying to figure out, and what we are very keen to hear from him this morning, are the events that led to the Commissioner making that decision. Did he make it alone? Did he consult with his Commission colleagues, with the President or other Commissioners? When did he inform the other Commissioners of his intention to invoke Article 16? This is the crucial piece of information we require from him this morning.

To move on from this point, the Commissioner referred to the joint partnership council and its work in implementing the Brexit deal for the foreseeable future. Concerns are being raised in Northern Ireland and I want to make the point strongly that the election lines have now been drawn in Northern Ireland.

We now know the key issue on which the Assembly election in Northern Ireland will be fought, namely, the question of whether one is for the protocol or against the protocol. That will be a key factor in the next election. While I think that would have happened in any event, the Commission's seeking to invoke Article 16 has certainly brought that issue into clear focus. The concerns that have been raised concern trade in Northern Ireland and the clear problems there in importing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. I believe - I acknowledge Mr. Šefovi himself has said this - that those issues are fixable, that they are teething problems, but we would like to hear from him this morning what the Commission and the European Union will do to address those concerns and difficulties that we can address and fix. Can he assure us this morning that he will make addressing those trade issues for Northern Ireland a key priority?

Does the Commissioner believe that a member state should be consulted in advance of invoking Article 16? Does he think Ireland should have been consulted before the Commission made that decision?

My final point is that we now have an impending vote on the consent mechanism in the Northern Ireland protocol. I want to know, from Mr. Šefovi's perspective and the Commission's perspective, what the Commission will do to ensure that that vote is successful and in favour of maintaining the protocol. As we have all said, getting agreement on that point was the most difficult part of the negotiations. Without the protocol there is nothing else to avoid a border on the island of Ireland. That is all that is on the table. If it is removed, there is nothing left. We therefore need to do everything we can to address that issue.