Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other members, I welcome our guests and thank them for their attendance. On the European Union external action force and the general influence of the European Union with regard to its neighbours to the east and the south, to what extent has the European Union developed a recognition of its authority, strength or influence in the area? To what extent are the European Union institutions working on that? Similarly, in respect of the ongoing situation in Syria, has Ireland unilaterally or together with the European Union and the United Nations, tried to establish safe havens or safety corridors of some kind in Syria with a view to addressing the serious human rights issues that continue to be brought to the attention of members on a daily basis?

For example, have the EU and UN institutions learned anything from the experiences of the war in Bosnia all those years ago when it became apparent that as long as perpetrators were secure in the knowledge that there could be no retribution, they would continue indefinitely to pursue their objectives? Have the various institutions of the European Union and United Nations at all levels examined the possibilities to the fullest extent possible in this area? If not, the belief will remain that in the absence of any intervention of an influential nature, the atrocities continue.

What is the general attitude to Iran within the European Union on both trade and the development of nuclear weapons? To what extent has Ireland, unilaterally or through the European Union and the United Nations, established common ground with a view to a common approach to the position in so far as the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iran is concerned, and to what extent is a serious effort being made to monitor such development?

To what extent has European scrutiny within the national parliament been co-ordinated to complement the European concept of cohesiveness and progress in the same direction at the same time and to the same extent, and to what extent has it been noted the degree of dissension within some European Union member states in respect of the focus on the original ideals of European integration and the European project? I do not want to mention individual countries, but there are a number of countries in which there is considerable growing Euroscepticism from which, if allowed to continue indefinitely without addressing the issues that appear to be causing the problem, disillusionment will develop and there will be a situation down the road in five or ten years, or perhaps even less than that, that would lead to a break-up or weakening of the European project in a way that would make it impossible to operate.