Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask members to please ensure their mobile phones are switched off. Apologies have been received from Senators Flynn and O'Reilly. The meeting this afternoon is the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. I welcome you all to today's meeting with European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefovi. We have no correspondence to consider. The minutes from our last public session, 2 November 2021 with the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, are to be adopted. Is that agreed? Agreed.

This is the initial privilege notice that I must read out, Commissioner. To our witnesses giving evidence from outside the parliamentary precincts, you are asked to know that you may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts, and may consider it appropriate to take advice on the matter. Witnesses participating in the committee session from a jurisdiction outside the State are advised that they should also be mindful of their domestic law and how it may apply to evidence that they give.

Privilege against defamation does not apply to the publication by you outside of the proceedings held by committee of any matters arising from the proceedings. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment or make charges against a person outside the Houses of the Oireachtas or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I remind members that they are only allowed to participate in this meeting if they are physically located in the Leinster House complex. In this regard, prior to making their contributions to the meeting, all members must confirm they are on the grounds of Leinster House. Therefore, if they are directed by the Chair to cease giving evidence, please respect that direction.

Our witness here this afternoon is Maroš Šefovi, Vice President of the EU Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight. Commissioner, you are very welcome to our meeting this afternoon. We very much appreciate you giving your time. We value this engagement with you as we know how busy you are and how packed your schedule is. I have no doubt it will provide valuable insight to our members here and the public, as you are the person to the fore on behalf of the European Union, and of course Ireland, in the Brexit process. Commissioner, I hand over to you for opening remarks.