Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To come to the last question first, the issue of a European army is not a Commission competence.

Ireland's participation in a European common defence arrangement is prohibited by Article 29.4.9° of the Constitution and reinforced by the Irish protocol in the Lisbon treaty.

Several members asked about the situation in Russia and Ukraine. Part of the function of the Minsk agreement was to encourage Ukraine to introduce further reforms. Ireland's approach is to seek a broader strategy in respect of relations with Russia, rather than looking only through the prism of Ukraine. In regard to the Irish view on sanctions, our position is that we want the terms of the Minsk agreements to be upheld. We welcome, for example, recent prisoner exchanges and de-escalation, and we have always said that sanctions should be scalable. Therefore, our urging would be to encourage further de-escalation, which would lead, as a consequence, to reductions in sanctions. We are not of the view that a military solution is in existence for the problems in eastern Ukraine. That has consistently been the Irish position.

The Chairman had a question about the Republic of Macedonia. The situation there is not on the agenda for the forthcoming General Affairs Council, but I would be happy to raise the issue on his behalf and accept his helpful suggestion that a note be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Certainly, the situation in the Republic of Macedonia is very worrying. I understand Commissioner Hahn recently visited there. I will be glad to raise the matter on behalf of the committee.

I have read some of the commentary by the Greek defence Minister but it was not part of our discussions. I have not seen the full text and cannot comment on his possible motivation other than to note that the broader migration issue is a concern, particularly for southern European countries. Europe's migration policy will be discussed by the EU later this year and we hope it will be done in a measured manner, taking all valid concerns into account.

In regard to developments in Greece, the issue of specific detail is being discussed today. It is not accurate to say that questions around detail are only being asked by Ireland. The Chairman remarked on the comments yesterday by the Greek finance Minister, Mr. Dijsselbloem. There is no denying that the situation in Greece is very challenging, with immediate concerns which need to be addressed in the coming months. We must see progress in the coming days. Financing is required this month to meet IMF repayments, interest payments and other financial obligations. To say there is no time to lose is an accurate assessment of where we are at. Much of the negotiations are of a very technical nature. They are ongoing today and tomorrow and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, is in attendance. We will have more detail in the coming days and it is to be hoped there will be progress and success for all concerned.

Have I covered all the points that were raised, Chairman?