Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank my colleague, Senator Paul Daly, for allowing me to speak before him, as I must return to the foreign affairs committee, which is meeting the Minister. The Brexit issue is looming large in that context as well.

My questions are on the special economic status that we are seeking on top of the ability to move seamlessly over and back across the Border. The research that we have seen on the special status of East Germany in terms of its economic ties with West Germany prior to the wall coming down shows that it was treated as though it were a member of the then EEC. Have the witnesses investigated this and made submissions on it? We have been told time and again, including when the Commissioner was in Leinster House and the European officials interacted with us, that the issue of Ireland must be dealt with first as one of the three matters that they want to have addressed before trade agreements are settled. They told us to go to them with ideas. One of the ideas that we are considering is using East Germany's special status prior to the wall coming down as a precedent for a special status for Northern Ireland and the Border counties, in that there would be an economic deal between Northern Ireland - not necessarily with the UK - and the Republic. Have the witnesses encountered this precedent and have they received any legal advice on it? We only have some information on it. Due to the nature of East Germany and West Germany and the amount of time that has lapsed since, it seemed to have been an ad hocstructure, albeit one that we could use as a precedent.

We all know of the problems. We must devise recommendations beyond just asking for a special status for Northern Ireland, even if that is exactly what we want. We must set out how it could be done, why it should be done and what happened in East Germany. Germany will be one of the key decision makers in this section of the negotiations.

I must give my apologies, as I must go to the other meeting, but I will read the transcripts.