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

The Estonian diaspora can avail of voting technology.

An EU regulation adopted in 2015 says that Internet service providers cannot discriminate between content and it is called net neutrality. It means that the provider cannot give faster access to video streaming than Dailymotion on YouTube, for example. I presume YouTube would provide this service to its parent company Google. The fine for violating the EU principle of net neutrality is €9,600 in Estonia, which is a fraction of the penalty enshrined in laws in other countries. Why is the fine so low in a progressive country like Estonia? Non-net neutrality can cause damage to both freedom of expression and online competition. I call for the issue to be tackled strongly. Estonia champions net neutrality. How does it enforce fines?

The ambassador mentioned an inclusive and sustainable Europe in her opening statement. This includes modernising rules in order to promote labour mobility and the free movement of persons. What does the Estonian Government mean by that? It sounds positive but it could mean the weakening of workers' rights.

I welcome the fact that Estonia seeks to secure a more sustainable environment. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to face the planet. I hope that the Estonian Presidency will champion green and environmentally friendly initiatives. Can the ambassador give me more details on the matter?

Earlier my colleague touched on the opening up of markets. It is a positive that people can travel from Dublin to Estonia yet retain the ability to use the same data provider. Let me outline one of the negatives of being a small country like Ireland. This morning I heard a radio clip about the availability of cancer drugs. Small countries like Ireland are squeezed out of the market when it comes to any type of medicinal drugs. Does the ambassador believe Europe should work together to get a better package particularly for highly expensive life-changing drugs? The companies that produce these drugs can cut off small counties. Does the ambassador view such co-operation in Europe as important in the future?

The ambassador touched on the subject of migration. She outlined that Estonia's main priority is to reform the European common asylum system. I agree with her that it should be reformed. As I said to the Minister of State, it should be based on solidarity. We must place the needs of the vulnerable refugees at the heart of the system. Some countries in eastern Europe have refused the mandatory refugee quota. All sorts of reasons have been given but their stance is extremely unhelpful. I am conscious that many of those countries, through their arms industry, have played a role in the conflicts that have erupted in the Middle East and elsewhere. Those countries get jobs from the industry but they have helped to create killing fields where people have died. How does Estonia propose to reform the European common asylum system?

Previous speakers have mentioned the disconnect between EU institutions and many people across Europe. Does Estonia see this matter as a priority? I am interested in hearing Estonia's approach and policies to tackle the problem that it will adopt during its Presidency. One can see from recent elections that people have turned away from the idea of Europe, which is worrying. There is a lot wrong with Europe but, conversely, there is many positives. We all agree that we need to do things differently and better. The European ideal of solidarity and people working together for the betterment of Europe and the entire world is the type of vision and image that we need to promote.