Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Much work has gone into this and we do not know what the outcome will be. We hope that if there are loopholes, they will be closed such that no one else will be caught in these circumstances. Is that agreed? Agreed.

P00018/23, "Guarantee the European legal standards for all Irish citizens in all European states", is in the name of Mr. Carles Pujol. The petition is that the Irish State actively consider the following issues as a result of the current arrest - on Tuesday, 28 March - of an MEP in Spain despite having immunity as a Member of the European Parliament. This raised real concerns that the rule of law is not respected and that court processes and policing are used for political purposes, contrary to human rights and EU rule of law. For information, the petitions case manager corresponded with Mr. Joe Hackett, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, on 8 June 2023 and received a reply on 29 June 2023. The committee recommends that the correspondence from the Department of Foreign Affairs be forwarded to the petitioner and that the petition be deemed closed based on the Department's response "that we respect the constitutional and territorial integrity of Spain, and that any related arrangements are matters to be determined by their own citizens, through their own institutions, in keeping with the rule of law". Do members have any views on this or is it agreed?