Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the very comprehensive overview. It does not give rise to many questions because he has covered all the areas and explained what he will do. I welcome the fact that he had a meeting with Mr. Kurt Bassuener of the democratisation policy council in Bosnia. In a paper he recently produced, he said: "Even if the protest movement dissipates, the deep social frustrations that underlie it will continue to simmer and eventually find another outlet – with the potential for violence which could be diverted ethnically." I am sure when he met the Minister of State, Deputy Donohoe, he said all is not well and Bosnia is not functioning as a normal society and there is considerable violence, trouble and strikes.

The goal is that it would function properly. Mr. Bassuener's contention is that EU policy to date is not succeeding there in that the carrot of enlargement and the prospect of joining the EU is inadequate and is not functioning satisfactorily. He argues that there needs to be a change of direction in policy, maybe a much more straightforward, direct language from the EU to Bosnia, in the mode of what must be said to Russia about Ukraine. When the Minister of State responds later, I would be interested if he would respond to that contention that the EU strategy on Bosnia is failing, as evidenced by the reality on the ground, and that a change of tack is necessary. Does the Minister of State agree that a change of tack is necessary? If so, what precise form should that take? Does he agree with the analysis Mr. Bassuener states publicly in papers and which he, presumably, put to the Minister of State privately as well?

I welcome the Minister of State's statement that he will work on behalf of our Government and people on banking union. That is of great interest to all of us in this country and I applaud it and concur with it. I would like to hear the Minister of State say that he will continue to pursue the retrospective separation of sovereign and banking debt for this country. Hard-pressed taxpayers, people who are in a difficult place and are collectively referred to as the "coping classes", have put a lot of their money into bailing out the banks with great pain. Ireland was a pilot scheme in that respect and should not be retrospectively victimised. We should be put on a level playing field. There have been commitments in this regard at the highest level and I recently heard the Minister of State speaking about this in the national media.

I would like to hear that it remains a top priority and that the Minister of State will try to advance it in the context of this meeting. I would like the Minister of State to enlighten us on how he feels he is getting on with that and where he sees it going from here. The eyes and ears of the whole country are waiting on that issue. Given our history, there is considerable interest in the Bosnia question too. Whether or not there is a mass interest in it, there is objective merit in pursuing it properly.