Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, Chairman. I am pleased to have the opportunity to brief the joint committee on Ireland's Presidency priorities in the foreign policy area. By way of introduction, I will refer briefly to our overall Presidency priorities before focusing more specifically on the areas of particular interest to the committee.

As members are aware, our Presidency programme is built around the core priorities of stability, jobs and growth. The Irish Presidency will be that of a recovery country driving recovery in Europe. We will aim at restoring stability through effective implementation of the banking union proposals and economic governance measures such as the European semester process. We will push ahead with legislation across the Europen Union's agenda that can stimulate jobs and growth. We will focus strongly on promoting the digital economy. We will support the President of the European Council in securing agreement on a multi-annual financial framework, MFF, for the period from 2014 to 2020. An adequate MFF is essential to underpin Europe's economic recovery, future growth and social cohesion.

While our official Presidency programme sets out in detail the legislative and other priorities across all formations of the Council, the main priorities can be summarised as follows: securing stability; investing in sustainable jobs and growth; and Europe and the world, in particular, the importance of looking beyond our borders and engaging with global partners. It is on the third priority that I propose to focus today.

While this is Ireland's seventh EU Presidency, it is the first in the post-Lisbon treaty era. The Lisbon treaty architecture has resulted in important changes to the role of the rotating Presidency in relation to foreign policy. Essentially, the Presidency now plays a supporting rather than a leading role in the external representation of the European Union. A key objective for our Presidency is to actively support the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and the European External Action Service in responding to current foreign policy and security challenges. We expect the ongoing crisis in Syria, tensions across the wider Middle East, the Iranian nuclear dossier and instability in Africa to continue to feature prominently on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council in the first half of 2013.

Support for the Middle East peace process is, as members are aware, a key priority for Ireland nationally. I hope to see the Foreign Affairs Council follow up as a matter of urgency on its conclusions of last May which considered, in particular, the implications of Israel's settlements policy for the achievement of the two-state solution. We have also been emphasising for some time the need for the European Union to adopt a higher profile in pursuing overall political progress in the Middle East peace process. We will continue to pursue this matter in the coming months on the Council.

The situation in Syria is a source of deep concern to all of us. President Assad's speech on 6 January was extremely dispiriting and offered nothing to the Syrian people in terms of ending the violence and repression and the long nightmare inflicted on them. The priority for all in the international community must be to bring about an end to the violence and promote an overall political settlement, leading to genuine change and transition. The European Union has been very active in highlighting the appalling human rights situation within Syria and making the case for accountability. It has also contributed substantively to urgent humanitarian efforts. Ireland has joined 25 other member states in endorsing a letter by the Swiss mission in New York to the President of the Security Council formally asking for a referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Ireland is fully supportive of the twin-track approach, namely, negotiations combined with sanctions, being pursued by High Representative Ashton on behalf of what is known as the E3+3, consisting of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and China. It is very much in Iran's interests to engage seriously in the negotiation process and address the very real international concerns. I hope we will see a more positive Iranian attitude in the next round of negotiations which is likely to be held in the coming weeks.

I expect that developments in Mali, the wider Sahel region and north Africa will be a key focus for the Foreign Affairs Council in the period ahead. The convening of an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting last week in Brussels in response to the rapidly evolving position on the ground highlights the seriousness with which the European Union views the position in Mali. It supports rapid deployment of the African-led international support mission in Mali, AFISMA, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2085 and has committed to providing swift financial assistance for the mission. The European Union also formally adopted a decision on 17 January to establish the European Union training mission for Mali which will be responsible for providing the Malian armed forces with military training and advice. The mission is expected to be launched by mid-February at the latest.

During the Presidency Ireland will work to promote implementation of the European Union's external human rights strategy, as set out in the EU strategic framework and action plan for human rights and democracy which was adopted on 25 June 2012. Particular elements of the EU action plan which I hope will be achieved in the next few months include the adoption of EU guidelines on freedom of religion or belief and the development of new EU guidelines on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, persons. I am pleased the European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights, Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, will visit Ireland next month and will meet the joint committee during his visit.

Ireland is also committed to working for more effective EU action at multilateral level on human rights issues. This will apply, in particular, at the UN Human Rights Council, to which Ireland was elected for a three year term beginning on 1 January. As a member state of the Council, we will be fully supportive of the work of the European External Action Service and will help the European Union to advocate effectively and coherently for the robust protection of human rights. As High Representative Ashton has put it, human rights are the "silver thread" running through Europe's foreign policy. We will work to ensure the European Union upholds its commitment to peace, democracy and human rights, despite the difficult financial circumstances which prevail. These values are central to Ireland's foreign policy and will be central to our Presidency.

The promotion of arms control through a strong international rule of law is another key foreign policy priority for Ireland and a further area in which we hope to provide support and encouragement for the European Union's work. One of the major issues facing the international community during our Presidency will be the negotiations on an arms trade treaty which will take place in New York from 18 to 28 March. Ireland believes a strong, comprehensive and legally binding treaty is urgently needed, one which will prohibit irresponsible arms dealing and further curb the illicit and grey markets in conventional arms.

The second preparatory committee meeting in the 2015 review cycle for the nuclear non-proliferation treaty will take place in late April and early May in Geneva. This meeting will assess the progress made to date in implementing the 2010 nuclear non-proliferation treaty action plan. It will also give states parties an opportunity to begin to look at possible outcomes for the next review conference in 2015. We will watch very closely developments regarding the proposed Helsinki conference on a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction. We hope further preparatory consultations in Geneva in the coming weeks will make it possible for the co-conveners to hold the conference within the first half of this year.

We will also have in April a third review conference on the chemical weapons convention. Ireland will act as EU co-ordinator for the preparations for this conference in The Hague where the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is located. As recent threats from the Assad regime in Syria demonstrate, we can never assume complacently that these weapons will not fall into the hands of non-state actors or never again be used as a battlefield weapon.

For this reason, it is important to ensure that the convention continues to function effectively, and the review conference will be an important event in that context.

Ireland has an established track record in the area of conflict prevention and we would like to see a reinforcement of capacity for this purpose at EU level. Building on our successful chairmanship of the OSCE last year and on our national experience of conflict resolution in the Northern Ireland peace process, we have plans to highlight this issue in various ways during our Presidency of the EU.

Ireland has always been a strong advocate of an efficient and effective UN. In recent years there has been ever closer co-operation between the EU and the UN in areas such as peacekeeping. The EU also plays a critical role in the development agenda at the UN. During our Presidency, we will work for stronger EU-UN relations, especially in the areas of crisis management and peace support operations, and we will work to ensure the EU speaks with one voice in international negotiations.

I know this committee takes a keen interest in developments in the western Balkans. Enlargement is a key priority for the Irish Presidency and we will work to facilitate and advance the process for all candidates and prospective candidates. The Presidency will prioritise a credible enlargement policy based on the principle of conditionality. Ireland will oversee consideration of the final monitoring report on Croatia and we expect to see Croatia ready to join the Union on 1 July 2013. For those countries currently in negotiations, the Presidency will work further to advance the ongoing accession negotiations with Iceland. We will seek to open one or two chapters with Montenegro and push for progress on the rule of law chapters. Progress on Turkey's accession will depend on the willingness of all parties - that is, the EU member states and Turkey itself - to facilitate this. We are hoping to open at least one chapter, if that proves possible.

The December European Council proposed returning in the first half of 2013 to the possibility of opening accession negotiations for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and for Serbia. We stand ready to progress these areas during our Presidency, should the council so decide. The December European Council conclusions also proposed returning, in the first half of 2013, to consideration of the possibility of granting candidate status to Albania and of opening stabilisation and association agreement negotiations with Kosovo. Both countries need to deliver on a number of outstanding reforms. Their progress in achieving these will be reported on by the Commission and the High Representative. Ireland is supportive of agreeing to grant candidate status to Albania following a positive report from the Commission and we are hopeful it may be possible to consider this during our Presidency. Ireland also supports the negotiation of a stabilisation and association agreement with Kosovo and we will do our best to progress this during our Presidency, should the Council so decide.

Ireland is supportive of Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU perspective. However, the Bosnian Government and political leaders must make real and sustained progress in order to realise this. While we will not have a direct role to play in the EU's relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina during our Presidency - this is now the responsibility of High Representative Ashton and the European External Action Service - we will, nevertheless, do everything in our power to encourage movement on the path to EU integration.

Turning to the EU's development and humanitarian work, Ireland will liaise closely with the High Representative to ensure this agenda is efficiently progressed during the Presidency. We will have a particular focus on three key issues. First, we will work with the High Representative, the Commission and the member states to agree an EU position for the 2013 UN special event on the millennium development goals, MDGs. The Irish Presidency comes at a critical time in advance of the UN special event and as work begins to shape the development framework after 2015, the target date for the MDGs.

The EU and its member states provide more than half of global development assistance. Given the EU's central role, we believe it is important that the EU actively engages in the global discussion on the post-2015 development framework with a coherent and credible position. To facilitate substantive discussion on this and other major development issues, we will, together with the High Representative, host an informal meeting of EU development Ministers in Dublin on 11 and 12 February 2013. Second, we will use our Presidency to highlight the links between the thematic issues of hunger, nutrition and climate change. Tackling hunger in the world's poorest countries is a cornerstone of Ireland's development programme. This focus on fighting global hunger is rooted in Ireland's own famine experience but also in our analysis of the reality of poverty in the lives of people in the developing world. We will host an international conference in Dublin on April 15 and 16 on the theme of hunger, nutrition and climate justice, with the aim of opening dialogue and debate on these linked challenges. The conference is being organised in co-operation with the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, MRFCJ, the World Food Programme and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, CGIAR.

Finally, Ireland will use the Presidency to forge stronger links between emergency humanitarian relief and long-term development aid. The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters is a major threat to long-term development and to the economic progress of poor people in developing countries. Large-scale emergencies have occurred every year over the past decade, from the Darfur conflict which started in 2003 to the Horn of Africa food crisis in 2011. As the number of such crises increases, the need to plan for them as part of our overall development assistance becomes more critical. Ireland, during its Presidency, will work with its EU partners to build on the progress we have made in forging stronger links between humanitarian relief and development aid.

I would like to conclude with a few short comments on co-operation with the European Parliament. The Lisbon treaty significantly altered the balance of powers within the EU institutions and, notably, gave the European Parliament an expanded and strengthened role. An effective working relationship and a close partnership with the Parliament will be front and centre of our approach to the Presidency. With this in mind, the Government has invested considerable time and effort in developing our contacts in the Parliament since it took office. Yesterday I had the opportunity to brief the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs on our Presidency programme and I look forward to engaging with that committee as well as this committee in the months ahead.