Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and members for their comments and questions. I will respond first to the comments made by Deputy Barrett. I agree with him that we need to look further afield. If anything, Brexit highlights that sometimes we rely on our neighbours more than we thought we did.

Certainly, while our closest neighbours within the EU will continue to be our largest market, providing us with access to more than 500 million people, we need to continue to engage with countries further afield. Working with our EU colleagues to develop not just this partnership but other partnerships and co-operation agreements is very important, especially in Asia, central Asia and the Pacific region. We have our own Asia-Pacific organisation here, chaired by a former colleague, Mr. Alan Dukes, which is doing a huge amount of work to create new links and strengthen those ties and areas of co-operation already in existence. We launched Global Ireland 2025 earlier this year, which is a roadmap or plan to double our global footprint by 2025. That plan is not just focused on Europe but also on North America, South America, Asia and Africa. While Brexit is not something that we wanted to happen, it has certainly opened our eyes and has focused our attention on the need to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones elsewhere, and this agreement is very much part of that process.

In terms of funding and the support we have given, there was a provisional agreement in place before the overall ratification. We are one of five countries that have yet to ratify the agreement. I cannot answer the question as to why the other four countries have not yet ratified it. On other occasions we have been one of only two or three countries, so we are not the last to ratify it this time. Approximately 350 projects have been funded since the country became independent in 1991. Funding amounted to €180 million over 27 years, which is not a huge amount on an annual basis. That said, the funding has been used to strengthen the capacity of the country's regional and local government system, to support reform of the justice sector, and to improve the capacity of the public sector to introduce social and economic reforms. While the amounts are minimal, taking those moneys away would do more harm than good.

In terms of delaying the ratification and not letting that happen, by ratifying the agreement we can influence Kazakhstan from within the ring. We can work with its leaders as well as with people on the ground in civil society, but if we do not ratify the agreement, we can only observe from the outside and watch while other countries, states or unions work with Kazakhstan.

The agreement covers a number of key areas, including a framework for trade. The latter can be used as a mechanism to address a lot of human rights issues. Other areas to be covered include people to people relations, civil society co-operation as well as co-operation in education, culture, research and innovation. The more that we can engage on all of these levels, the more effective we will be in encouraging reform. As the Vice Chairman has mentioned, we engage on human rights issues not just through the EU but also through the Council for Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. We have regular dialogue in that regard, and having this agreement in place only enhances such dialogue. It will allow us to continue to highlight the fact that there is still a threat of radicalisation and violent extremism in Kazakhstan, which is a significant threat to civil society and has resulted in violations of a number of fundamental human rights. Again, by engaging on more than just an economic level, but in the context of education, culture, people to people relations and so on, we can address these issues. In terms of the funding piece, it would be foolish to stop funding projects in Kazakhstan, particularly given the fact that these projects are focused on people, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, all of which are of fundamental importance to the EU.

The Chairman also asked about benefits accruing from this agreement. It is beneficial for Ireland and the rest of the EU to have a closer relationship and partnership with Kazakhstan. Closer integration will also benefit Kazakhstan. The EU is its largest trading partner at the moment and as we engage further, that partnership will grow further. The more support that we can provide, the better. Some of the areas covered in the agreement include energy, transport, environment, public health, consumer protection, education, training, youth and cultural co-operation. The agreement will assist in the production of better quality products. The focus is on business, as well as on better functioning of the judiciary, the rule of law and enhanced transparency, all of which will help citizens.

It is beneficial to both sides, but the more we work with them and are included in the fold, the more we can do to support them.