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

I thank the Chairman and all the members for their questions and comments. I will touch first on the issue of the beef fund from the Commission.

Everybody here will agree it is most important that the money gets to those who need it most and is not diluted by administration. The people seeking these funds are those who have already been negatively affected by the uncertainty caused by Brexit. This money needs to get to those who have already lost revenue. As the criteria have not yet been set out fully or published, we need to wait to see what they will look like. I know those who have been working to advocate for this, including the IFA, have been emphasising that this money needs to get to those who need it. We need to wait to see what the criteria will be. I hope we will have that sooner rather than later.

Deputy Durkan referred to the Single Market. When we talk about the strategic agenda for the next few years, the biggest aspect is that it is not all about new priorities or new areas, it is about completing the commitments we have already made and the work that is already ongoing. The Single Market is approximately 80% complete in the area of goods, but the digital market is just 30% complete. When it comes to services, which comprise a significant part of our export economy, the figure is somewhere in between. There is substantial work to do. We need to ensure that everybody benefits from the completion and digitisation of the Single Market.

Deputy Durkan and Senators Coghlan and Craughwell raised the issue of enlargement. When this matter came up at last June's European Council meeting, it was decided not to open the accession process for North Macedonia and Albania. Having travelled to those countries this year, I am aware that a great deal of work has been done there. We have to remind ourselves that opening the accession process does not mean they become member states. It is a lengthy process. It takes a number of years for countries to become member states after that process has been completed. There has to be give and take. When progress has been made and work has been done, we need to be able to show support and solidarity as well. I understand that other member states have particular difficulties and challenges. We will discuss this matter and lend our support to it at next month's meeting of the General Affairs Council. Georgia is a member of the Eastern Partnership, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. It is not looking to join the EU and is not part of the accession process at the moment. As in the instances of Turkey and other countries, these conversations are continuing to remain there without moving anywhere.

There is a huge amount of work to do on climate. We have said we want to become leaders in this regard. We know we are falling behind at the same time. The next targets are not going to be targets we can reach. That is why we are focusing on our 2030 targets, which involve a reduction of 40%. We understand that we have significant challenges in light of the fact that 33% of our emissions come from our largest indigenous sector. We need to work with that sector. As many people stated, we should not engage in the "climate-shaming" of certain industries and sectors. We need to make sure our approach is affordable, equitable and technically feasible. It must be something people are on board with as well. Some of the biggest challenges we have faced in recent years with regard to wind, solar or other proposals have involved ensuring communities are on board. The way we have planned the layout of our country means that houses and other things are situated in areas that make this a much more complex and difficult matter than is the case in other countries where there may be thousands of acres without a house or community in sight. We have to take each country based on its geography, population and concerns and try to apply this. We are focusing on that. We are working with the Commission on a longer-term strategy. This has been discussed a number of times. At a significant summit that will take place in New York in September, we will focus on young people and on how climate change initiatives can be implemented. We are trying to be as active as we can with our European and international partners. We have been active at home by declaring a climate emergency, by doing our cross-committee work and by drawing up the cross-departmental plan that the Minister, Deputy Bruton, hopes to implement soon.

I was also asked about the overall structure of the next Commission and the next European Parliament. The positions are being discussed. The initial conversation took place last night. We want to ensure smaller member states are represented and there is a good balance between male and female representation.