Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador for attending today and for the very interesting presentation and discussion. We wish him well and continued good luck and success during the busy period of the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council. I agree with his own sentiments, and with those of others, that the time is obviously very short. I recall the time Ireland held the EU Council Presidency. One is only getting ones legs under the table and getting going when all of a sudden one has to depart from the table. It is most unfortunate and may perhaps be looked at in the future. We wish the ambassador well. The good side to the Presidency being condensed into a six-month period is that people really knuckle down to work quickly to get going and interacting with all the member states. On a personal level I wish His Excellency every good luck and success.

I thank all the Members who came to the Public Gallery today to hear the ambassador's presentation. I especially acknowledge the presence of the chargé d'affaires for Georgia, Mr. George Zurobashvili. I welcome him, his colleagues and all the others here today. I thank them all for being here. I thank the members of the committee and I thank the secretariat for organising today's meeting. As there is no other business to be dealt with today, this meeting shall adjourn until Tuesday, 4 October, or perhaps an alternative date, taking into account what a number of members from the Fianna Fáil group have outlined to us earlier today. It will be taken into account and we will try to deal with that.