Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the committee. I still have this image in my head of the fluffy green jersey, so I wonder if the Minister of State is using the right softener.

This is an important issue and we are all trying to be on the same page. We all accept there are substantial challenges facing the EU, both internally and externally. The Minister of State has mentioned some of those challenges in this debate.

We all have major concerns about Brexit, so the work we carried out in Brussels was useful in that regard. Some 15 committees were mentioned and a lot of work is going on. We are all trying to do our best, be it privately or publicly. Does the Minister of State have any recommendations for the committee in terms of its work, including outreach and inviting witnesses to appear before it?

We had quite a number of meetings in the couple of days we spent in Brussels, including talks with the European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly. She spoke about the importance of transparency, which links in to the need for citizens' trust to be re-established. Visiting various committees, one gets a sense that the issue needs to be tackled. In this committee and others we have discussed how the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, negotiations were handled. People had concerns about the secrecy surrounding such fundamental trade deals which impact on people's lives, not just in Europe but also around the globe. It is important for the public to buy into such deals.

It is similar with the Brexit negotiations. It is important for all of us wearing the green jersey to have an understanding of the Government's strategy. We may disagree with, add to or subtract from that strategy but at some stage when we visit various capitals we must have a sense of where the Irish Government stands.

The Minister of State mentioned migration and we all accept that this is the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. Some 5,000 people drowned in the Mediterranean last year. Side deals have been done with some countries, but there has already been criticism of Turkey and Libya. Does the Minister of State see side deals as the way forward in tackling the refugee crisis? Should we consider being more supportive of those countries on the front line of migration, particularly Greece and Italy? Thousands of migrants are landing in those countries daily during the summer months.

I am conscious that I shall not get an opportunity anywhere else to discuss the fact that Ibahim Halawa is facing his 19th trial hearing having spent three years of his young life behind bars. Yesterday his trial was postponed again. We all know the circumstances behind his case and delegations have gone to Egypt. In the first week of March the foreign Minister for Egypt will attend the EU Council meeting in Malta to discuss the ongoing situation in Egypt. As no progress was made at the trial hearing yesterday will the Irish Government prioritise the case at the next EU Council meeting and make it clear that there can be no further normalisation of relations between Egypt and the EU while an Irish and European citizen remains in a Cairo prison? Does the Minister of State share my view on same?

The Maltese Presidency of the EU has produced a short paper on the future of the Europe. People have demanded that we build a progressive, prosperous and social Europe that respects sovereignty. Has the Minister of State got a sense that this goal needs to be prioritised? Have we learned anything from Brexit? Even though Ireland campaigned for a remain vote it does not mean that everything is hunky-dory in the European Union. Clearly huge problems exist that need to be addressed.

Lastly, does the Irish Government plan to publish a White Paper on Brexit?