Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I remind everybody, particularly those in the Visitors Gallery, to switch off his or her mobile phone, not merely to leave it in silent mode. Mobile phones interfere with the communications equipment with the result that the proceedings cannot subsequently be broadcast.

On the agenda today is a discussion on recent developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and EU enlargement. We are delighted to welcome Mr. Kurt Basseuner of the Democratisation Policy Council in Sarajevo, Ms Mary Anne Hennessey of the Council of Europe in Sarajevo and Ms Tija Memisevic from the European Research Centre in Sarajevo. We will focus on recent developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and how Ireland might best support them during its forthcoming European Union Presidency. Members of the joint committee travelled to Sarajevo in September and were delighted on that occasion to speak to Ms Hennessey who gave us a very good insight into what was happening at the time. We look forward to hearing from her on more recent developments in the region. I invite her to make her opening remarks.