Mr. Barry Andrews:

I thank the Chairman and colleagues. It is great to see everyone and hopefully we can meet physically in the not-too-distant future. I am very grateful for the opportunity to address the committee on the trade and co-operation agreement between the EU and the UK, which we ratified in the European Parliament last week. It marks a new phase in trade relations with the UK, and wider relations with the UK. The new structures that have been brought into being, and since 1 May into permanent application, give an opportunity to develop a relationship that is not based on rivalry but on partnership. It was approved by a huge majority in the Parliament, with 660 votes in favour and just five against, as was the resolution that accompanied ratification, albeit by a slightly smaller majority. It reflects the Parliament’s desire to approach this new relationship in a positive and constructive manner. It also demonstrates strong solidarity with Ireland. We continue to enjoy the solidarity of our fellow member states, as well as in the ratification process.

It is worth recording that the ratification obviously took an awful lot longer in the European Parliament than it did in Westminster, where it was scrutinised in 24 hours before its ratification. That is a positive thing and the European Parliament was correct to accept provisional applications from 1 January, and to allow the opinions of the European Parliament to be gathered and fed into the resolution we passed. It is worth reminding members that Michel Barnier’s address to the European Parliament last week noted that Brexit was, to some extent, a failure on the part of the EU. As we approach the launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe next Sunday, it is reflecting on learning its lessons and helping to ensure we feed that into a renewal of the European Union.

The accompanying resolution sets out the Parliament’s position on scrutinising the agreement into the future. These matters are not fully settled yet and we can discuss those further. The overriding message from the parliamentarians was that we want to open up a range of mechanisms and that we want to make them a conduit for implementation of anything that emerges as a difficulty in a pragmatic manner. These mechanisms can also be used for non-compliance and avoid the necessity for infringement proceedings, which we saw in March.

I would like to focus on the Northern Ireland protocol in particular, which I am glad to say emerged as a key priority in the debate and in the resolution. In my contribution to the debate last week - in which more than half of Irish MEPs contributed - I noted that a poll carried out in March in Northern Ireland recorded that just 5% of people polled in the North trusted the UK Government to safeguard their interests in the negotiations on the protocol. As I mentioned, John Hume's great achievement in respect of the Northern Ireland issue was to internationalise the Northern Ireland dispute. He not only brought in US involvement but also EU involvement. We are at a critical juncture in the constitutional arrangements on the island of Ireland and in the UK, and in relations between the EU and UK. It is critical that we maintain that EU interest in the future of Northern Ireland.

I spent many months raising awareness of sensitivities in Northern Ireland in the European Parliament. I am glad to say that the language adopted in the resolution states that the European Parliament wants to engage in "ongoing and enhanced dialogue between political representatives and civil society, including with Northern Ireland representatives, on all aspects of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and the broader Northern Irish peace process". This is dedicated towards the idea of developing connective tissue between the European Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly, and between Belfast and Brussels.

It commits the EU in the future to playing this role in ensuring peace and stability in Northern Ireland. The EU should clearly not make any concessions to those engaged in violence but the unrest has demonstrated that we must ensure the protocol works for all communities. As I have said, one of the ways to do that is through those channels of continued and sustained dialogue between Belfast and Brussels.

I have held the strong view that a dedicated parliamentary structure is required for dialogue between Belfast and Brussels in order to facilitate the kind of open and constructive debate that needs to happen. This would help dispel criticism that decisions are being imposed on Northern Ireland by Brussels. As members are aware, the Northern Ireland Assembly will vote on the protocol in December 2024. That seems an awfully long time away now but it is important that we strategise in anticipation of said vote. Much will be determined by the Northern Ireland Assembly elections of May 2022, but we must develop strategies to that end.

I have spoken for five minutes so I will not continue to refer to the paper I submitted to the committee yesterday. I encourage members to look at the balance of it and I hope I can come to the other matters in the question-and-answer session.