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

I wish to comment on Mr. Timmermans's opening remarks about the Irish recovery. Many of the households who are watching the proceedings have not experienced that recovery. We do not have as high a youth unemployed rate as that instanced by Mr. Timmermans, but what is unfortunate is that our young people from towns and villages are leaving our shores and that is why our youth unemployment rate is not high. There are significant areas that are suffering, with many households in huge debt. We are always sensitive to those remarks. It would be great if, like other areas of Europe, we had not been impacted by the recession. Some areas of Ireland have done extremely well, but others have not.

I am sure Mr. Timmermans is aware that a motion has been passed in the Irish Parliament on a special category status in the EU. What does Mr. Timmermans think of that? People are talking about the Good Friday Agreement and joint sovereignty. The EU has been imaginative in its approach to other areas of territorial dispute. I hear from politicians about their huge sympathy and understanding for Ireland's part in the peace process. I welcome his remarks on that.

Would it be helpful if a delegation were to travel to the Border area to get a sense of the current position? At present, there is no sense of a border. The last thing that the peace process needs is a sense of fear or further division. The worry is that if there is a permanent checkpoint, that will lead to a greater security detail, further militarisation and so on. That delicate balance in the process itself will be lost. Do the officials of the European Commission have such an understanding? Do the EU parliamentarians understand the situation?

I am aware that in 2014 there was talk in terms of a follow up to the Anti-Corruption Report 2013. We have seen protests in European capitals, such as Romania. There have been allegations in respect of NAMA. What is the rationale for dropping this report? An issue arose during the French elections that the wife of one candidates was paid for fictitious work. Would he agree with transparency? Some members of the committee met with the Office of the Ombudsman, who spoke about the importance of transparency. Clearly this is one of those areas, which I cannot understand, but why we would drop that report?

Migration is the significant issue facing Europe. On the EU-Turkey deal, a country of safe origins, many of us across Europe have concerns about that. We are speaking in terms of replicating that deal in respect of Libya. Libya is a failed state, a country that is tribal and so on. Malawi is another country in the middle of a civil war similar to all of the difficulties that we know are happening in Turkey. Why are we replicating those ideas?

The German Chancellor is talking about member states not participating each time in all steps forward towards integration. It is almost as though there will be different tiers and different ways forward. The concern is that there will be first-class membership and second-class membership. Again, we need better reforms, democratic and transparent accountability and so on all over the European Union. They are three of the huge concerns and worries that people have with regard to the governments. I would appreciate it if the witness could expand on those points.