Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador for his comprehensive address and outlining a vision for the European Union, which is sadly lacking. He said himself unity and optimism is lacking in Europe, using a poem by Seamus Heaney.

The ambassador will be under no illusion but that the Brexit issue is the most important issue facing the Government and citizens of the Republic of Ireland. While appreciating Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty has not yet been invoked, Oireachtas Members are clear we need to get the message out that Ireland is particularly affected by Brexit, probably more than any other EU member state. While every EU member state will be affected in one way or other from the point of view of trade and so forth, Ireland has concerns about the future of the common travel area, the possible erection of trade barriers between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the possible introduction of cross-Border controls. The most important, but least tangible, concern is about the sustainability of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

In any meetings I have had in the European Union in recent months there is a great interest among our colleagues and MEPs in the European Parliament about the peace process and how it might be affected. This is something we need to get across, that if there is poor economic growth in Northern Ireland it could lead to all sorts of problems and issues.

With regard to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between the EU and Canada, I understand that the foreign ministers are meeting shortly to consider that further. It has been suggested that the meeting might give provisional approval for CETA and I would be concerned about that because it has not really been discussed in our national Parliament. It would be a mistake to go ahead with provisional approval of CETA at the September meeting.

The ambassador also stressed the position regarding migration and asylum policy. This is one of the big issues which faces Europe today. The EU-Turkey deal is now being implemented and there are concerns about how that is being implemented and also about the consequent EU migration partnership framework. There is a general view among many people in Ireland that the security concerns are taking priority over humanitarian concerns. I believe the European Union needs to stress the humanitarian considerations in all of this, apart from the other issues. All of the speakers, including the ambassador, spoke about the democratic deficit. The ambassador spoke about the gap in communication between EU institutions, member states and the citizens. I believe it is painfully obvious to all that something needs to be done on that. Senator Craughwell referred to the rise of populism. The European Union is under threat and we need to be conscious of that.

The ambassador has set himself a very ambitious agenda. He has come at a very difficult time for the European Union with its many challenges. Certainly, as another small state, we wish him well in his endeavours for the benefit of all the citizens of Europe.