Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

How is the EU assisting Lebanon during this difficult time? The security situation in the country is fragile and the conflict in Syria is having an impact.

There are 300,000 Palestinian refugees in the region, but according to the UNHCR, there are now 453,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which would equate to 500,000 people arriving in Ireland over a two-year period. How is the EU addressing the humanitarian situation not only in Syria but in the neighbouring countries such as Lebanon?

When the Minister of State referred to EU enlargement, she mentioned that Bosnia-Herzegovina was lagging far behind in its reforms. Is this due to a lack of political and public support for EU membership? Are the neighbouring countries helping to push the necessary reforms? Is the EU giving adequate support and assistance to the implementation of the necessary reforms in that region?

When the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, appeared before the joint committee, he expressed the hope that some of the blockages in the accession negotiations with Turkey would be removed during the Irish Presidency. Will the Minister of State update us on the progress in that area?

Following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, the denial of freedom to travel and work in member states caused difficulties. Have we learned anything from the difficulties that many Bulgarian and Romanian people experienced? I understand that a high percentage of the people trafficked to Britain and Ireland and other parts of Europe come from that region?