Mr. Pip Breen:

I thank the Chairman. I have listened intently to all of the conversations. I agree wholeheartedly that there is a disconnect between the people on the ground and the EU, even among local representatives. I am chairman of the regional assembly in Waterford. The question we are often asked is: "What are you crowd doing down there?" The point that has not come up today is the fact that a massive Covid recovery fund has been handed from the EU to Ireland, which at the moment is being distributed and orchestrated. This is more than €500 million. This is real money coming from the EU but as some members have stated, we do not have a full-time EU officer in all of the councils. I believe there are only three or four currently. It is very necessary because the paperwork is complex. It would not be complex to a person who was full time at it. As Mr. Tzitzikostas said, we need real connectedness between the EU and the people on the ground.

In most of the EU regions, 40% of control is devolved to the local councils, but in Ireland it is less than 9%. That is something we must balance a bit. We do need a bit more control from the ground up to give people the connection they need. The EU has been very good to Ireland and I believe we can give something back. We are a very democratic society. Ireland is probably one of the longest lasting democracies, excepting that we have a problem with our Border at the moment. As the Chairman knows, this has the potential to implode badly if we do not bite the bullet on this.