Mrs Dodds said,
"The European Union has never been slow to remind us of its support for the Belfast Agreement. Whilst heavy on words they have been light in practical demonstration of this however. One of the key foundations for political progress in Northern Ireland has been cross-community consent. Any proposal which cannot command support amongst both communities is doomed to failure.
There is no unionist within the NI Assembly however that gives consent to the Protocol. There is no unionist consent for an Irish Sea Border. There is no consent or democratic mechanism for EU law being imposed on Northern Ireland. There is no consent for Article 6 of the Act of Union being set aside to facilitate the Protocol.
It's time the Commissioner acknowledges the lack of consent and works to resolve the concerns of unionism around the Protocol and the democratic deficit it creates. He received that clear message today. It is now up to the European Commission to demonstrate they are listening."
