Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As a small outlier in the EU, I could not agree more with the Deputy and I think it needs to be a priority for whatever Government comes in after the election. The strength of the EU should be that we would collectively bargain. This would benefit us as much as anyone else. We cannot always be at a point where we simply say that we cannot afford this and where we are isolated and picked off one by one in terms of the types of negotiations that need to occur. It will not be about this but will be about something that could be far more unique which will treat something far rarer than that which we are experiencing here. I fully agree with the Deputy that this type of negotiation under whatever Presidency within the EU needs to be a priority for the next Government. We must insist on this happening because we would benefit more than others.

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