John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Wiser heads than mine do not know if there will be a delay and how long it will be. I understand the broader point he is making, however, which concerns the need not to create two categories of MEP. I do not think there is a danger of doing that. There is a difference between the Irish and European parliamentary systems. In an Irish context, representatives are elected on the day the votes are counted, while in the European Parliament, an MEP is elected the day the seat is taken up and not on the day the votes are counted. Seats will be taken up in the new European Parliament in the first week of July. Some of the points we have been making may be academic if an agreement is reached, if no agreement is reached or if a minor extension is agreed.

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