Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It was interesting to hear Mr. Andrews say that MEPs across the board are still interested. I thought that some of that interest might have diminished as other issues took hold. Is there any sense of frustration and of wanting to move forward or because of the particular set of circumstances, does Mr. Andrews get a sense that they are willing to stay with it not just for now but for as long as it takes?

My second question refers to the proposals by Mr. Andrews about some kind of Northern Ireland delegation to the European Parliament. Could he flesh this out to look at where this starts and finishes? Who would set it up? Who would take on responsibility? Mr. Andrews mentioned civil society at Northern Ireland level as well as parliamentarians. If we look at civil society, where does one start? Who is involved? How does that feed into the European Parliament itself? Would it be through a special committee or some other mechanism? What would its role be? What would it do? How much influence might it have? Would it be consultation only or would it have specific influence? It is an excellent idea. It must be meaningful but at the same time, it must operate under the current legal basis. Mr. Andrews mentioned observer status. In respect of countries that were going to join, these were people who were elected as MEPs so there was a specific structure for that. Any detail Mr. Andrews could give me on a proposal for a specific structure would be welcome.

My third question relates to the conference on the future of Europe. Having been in the European Parliament during the referendums on the Lisbon treaty, the Stability and Growth Pact etc., I agree with Mr. Andrews that people are not interested in the different competences and institutions. Essentially, they want to see that Europe works. Whether this is around a vaccination programme, investment post pandemic or a response to climate change, that is what most people want to see. I agree that for Europe to work more efficiently, we probably do need treaty change but can we deliver it?