Mr. Maro? ?efovi:

I thank the Chairman. It is very kind of him. I thank him for his question and the subsequent questions from the committee. First and foremost, I would like to say that all channels are open. After that Friday, I was ready to have immediate meetings with First Minister, Arlene Foster, and deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill. At the same time, having fully realised how sensitive and political all these issues had become, I consulted with Chancellor Michael Gove to make sure that we would have a proper meeting organised. I clearly underlined my availability at any time. In the end, the suggestion from the Chancellor was that we should meet on Wednesday, which was a couple of days later. I was hoping for an earlier meeting to discuss all these pertinent and very sensitive matters, but we had a very open and frank discussion about which I am sure the committee is very well informed.

I can tell the committee that since then, if I am not mistaken, I was in the European Parliament seven times explaining our action and proposing the way forward. I met three times with the ambassadors of all the member states and this issue has also been discussed with the ministers for foreign affairs. I am in almost daily contact with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, for whom I have very high respect. What I can promise the committee is that any mechanism we establish will be based on this horizontal overview of the clearing house within the Commission, where not only our Irish partners but also the political level of the Commission will get the early warning about potentially difficult issues. We are communicating with our Irish partners on a daily basis.

The outreach suggested by the honourable member was also my suggestion to Chancellor Gove when we discussed these issues over the phone for the first time. It is very important to hear from Northern Irish business leaders and civic society how they see the protocol, to convince them that we are absolutely convinced this is the best way forward and to listen to what they see as the key issues. It is then our joint responsibility, along with Michael Gove, to be very honest with them about what we can fix or repair which would still be in line with EU legislation and the fact the UK has left the Single Market, the customs union and the EU. If there are practical, pragmatic possibilities on how to solve the problem, I am sure we will find them.

However, it is also important to get support from Ireland to make it clear to our UK partners that it is a two-way street. There has to be engagement and delivery from their side. They knew very well that 1 January was coming. We proposed an extension of the transitional period which was not accepted. Therefore, we are now in the difficult implementation period where the border crossing points are not fully operational and we still do not have access to the IT customs system, which makes it very difficult for us to carry out all the necessary checks and controls. However, I am extremely thankful for the good co-operation on the ground between our experts on customs phytosanitary controls and their Northern Irish counterparts. The inter-human, professional relationships are very good. They are learning from each other and they are working together. I am glad that we found a way to resolve the security and safety issues so they can carry out their duties because they are very important for the future of our relationship.

I am also ready to engage with the Irish Brexit stakeholder group. I think it will happen this week. As I said, we will be meeting the civic society and business leaders of Northern Ireland this Thursday. As regards the Northern Ireland Executive, I am open to all the meetings but am trying to follow good order in organising things and respecting all the internal arrangements of the UK. Therefore, the counterpart for the EU and for me is Michael Gove. If he engages in organising such a direct exchange with the Northern Ireland Executive, I will be there for sure. I am ready to listen, to explain what we can do together and look for the best solution for the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland.