Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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No, but within the European Defence Fund, it is not simply the same because this process was decided by QMV, as I understand it, in quite a hurry. Going back to the Commission, there is just one other point. The Act, as I understand it, referred to the urgency and the exceptional circumstances of the Ukraine war. Again, that does not seem to be an industrial measure. That is clearly a defence or a foreign affairs policy area. It refers to the Ukraine war to permit member states to derogate from norms on labour law, environmental standards and public contracts, encouraging them to use defence-related exemptions to mitigate possible obstacles. Perhaps the Commission witness might comment on both the rapidity of this Act and its passing, and whether it is the case that in that Act, there was a suggestion that member states might derogate from other norms in relation to labour law, environmental standards and public contracts. Certainly, in the case of Ireland, we seem to be derogating from our cluster munitions legislation, not that there is a capacity to derogate, to be very clear. That is for the Commission.