Mr. David Fennell:

As it stands, Ireland has not opted into the measure. We would be hopeful that Article 8, which is the problem section, will be amended to permit Ireland and other member states to continue participation. If, in the worst case scenario, member states do not accept that Article 8 could be amended and, therefore, Ireland could not as a consequence take part in Eurojust, in practical terms we would see no difficulty in having a liaison officer assigned who would not by definition exercise any formal powers in Eurojust. There is already a precedent for third countries to have liaison officers assigned to Eurojust. Effectively, the Irish national member is essentially a liaison officer or contact point. In practical terms, I do not believe there would be any significant operational implications for Ireland.