Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising the issue. I agree that the news last week of a conclusion to the negotiations on the protocol and the withdrawal agreement was very good news. Both sides deserve commendation in terms of the constructive way that they engaged. The indications were good prior to signing off on that agreement which was important in terms of the experience on the post-Brexit island of Ireland. The fact that both sides are still in negotiations is a good sign. It gives me greater hope than I had last week that a resolution can potentially be found to the very difficult and challenging issue of a level playing field and fisheries and a dispute resolution mechanism to deal with that. It is important that both sides get it right and that they concentrate on getting a deal. If they can get a deal over the line, subsequent to that, it is a matter for the member states and others then to work out how we deal with that procedurally.

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