Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her detailed contribution. I presume we can take for granted that Croatia will accede to the European Union on 1 July. With regard to the other countries that have candidate status, is there any hoped for timeline in the European Commission for possible accession dates for each of the countries? Apart from Croatia, is it expected any other country will accede to the EU during the time of the next multi-annual financial framework, which lasts until 2020? Has provision been made for additional funding if other countries join the EU? Has it been decided how many seats there will be for the European elections? The Minister of State mentioned that elections have already been held in Croatia.

The Minister of State also mentioned the Lisbon treaty providing for better neighbourhood working relationships. That is welcome because we all need stability, the rule of law and additional trade opportunities with neighbouring areas.

This is the third week in a row the Syrian conflict has arisen at the committee. The Minister of State mentioned casualty figures of 100,000 dead, with 6.8 million in need of aid, more than 50% of whom are children, 4.25 million internally displaced and 1.3 million seeking refuge. Barry Andrews, the CEO of GOAL was here two weeks ago and said this is the humanitarian crisis of this generation. Has there been any reaction at EU or UN level to the outcome of the negotiations between Secretary of State Kerry and the Russian authorities last night, where they both spoke about the need for international negotiations? Hopefully following the deadlock that has pertained at EU level and the Security Council's failure to achieve a resolution, this is a positive step forward. Has there been any international reaction or support for the outcome of those discussion last night?