Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Reilly. He has raised some interesting points, because some would say that perhaps in the haste to expand the EU back in the early 2000s we were remiss in ensuring that some of the states that joined were up to speed, not just in terms of bringing in the laws that the EU requires but also with regard to changing attitudes within those countries. Many people now say that the various chapters involved in joining the EU are complex and quite cumbersome, but they are there for a reason - perhaps because we have learned lessons from the last big enlargement.

The lessons include that it is not just about passing domestic laws to align them with EU laws but also about trying to change mindsets and ensuring the values we expect in EU membership are shared equally across all member states.

A question was raised about gay pride marches in Russia, but Hungary is in the European Union and we expect certain standards of member states. Unfortunately, in some instances, it appears that certain governments are not living up to these standards. I want to ask about the Roma. Last year, when Ireland held the Presidency of the European Council, the COSAC meeting took place in Dublin. We were lucky to have a speaker from the Hungarian Roma community who talked about some of the pressures Roma citizens, particularly Roma journalists, were subjected to in Hungary. Will the delegates let us know what the situation is like? It would be useful to hear about this.

Deputy Eric Byrne mentioned the fourth amendment concerning issues such as the privileged status of churches and the arrest of homeless persons. There is also the issue of students not being allowed to leave the country unless they pay off the student loans they owe. The Tavares report was debated by the previous European Parliament. Does Mr. Devitt expect the new European Parliament to revisit the matter and issue further opinions on the fourth amendment?

Mr. Devitt may not be able to answer everything, but he should at least try to address some of the questions raised. This would be useful for us in advance of our meeting with the ambassador on Thursday.