Ms Deirdre Clune:

Ms Daly and Ms Walsh are on the LIBE committee and have covered migration. It is very important that we bring the debate about migration closer to home because it is a very serious issue and a major concern. The camp in Moria made headlines recently. A small island the size of Lesbos had almost 13,000 people in a camp designed to cater for 3,000 people. One cannot imagine that happening anywhere on the island of Ireland. It is a very difficult situation. Greece, Malta, Italy and Spain and other European countries bearing the burden of migration and that needs to be addressed.

The Commission's proposal has just been announced. It is about trying to share the burden further, which is what the Dublin declaration was about. The proposal is trying to revise that, something which obviously has not worked. There is a lot of division among member states at Council level. The committee will find that the Parliament level is supportive of a migration policy which would address the issue in a fair manner. I am sure the relevant committees in the Oireachtas will get to grips with the issue because it is something we need to hear more about in Ireland in our media and from the Oireachtas.

If the committee follows the debate on the budget and the attempt to reach agreement between the three institutions, it will find the rule of law is featuring. Some countries are in the headlines, such as Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and others. Section 7 investigations have been opened into those countries but the process is slow and requires unanimity at Council level.

Parliament has now moved to support the Commission's original proposal in 2018 that budget supports be linked to the rule of law. There is a stand-off in that area. Just over a month ago, the Commission started to produce an annual rule of law report into every country. It would be worthwhile for Ireland to look at that in terms of the results of the investigation. It is an annual process that has started this year.

On the future of Europe, it would have been different 12 months ago. The Commission, Parliament and Council agreed to have a conference on the future of Europe, starting this year.

There is no starting date yet even though it may go digital. Its purpose is to engage with citizens and national parliaments on what we want from the future of Europe and how it should move forward. Obviously the current challenges are about recovering from Covid from both a financial and a societal point of view and how we might do that. It is going to be really difficult because many countries have been affected, not least our own. As the committee will be aware, that is reflected across Europe. They probably are the real challenges now.

Of course there is climate change and climate action as well. We have recently agreed a climate law in the Parliament and the Oireachtas has its own climate action Bill. How we move forward to ultimately get to 2050 when we will be carbon-neutral is a real challenge. The targets are in place but the structures now need to be put in place as to how to get there in every area. I am sure the committee is aware of that but it is a real challenge for all of us and one of the main issue that will face us over the next number of years, as we move to address the key targets that have been put in place. I will leave it at that, Chairman, because I am not sure how much time I have taken up. I am happy to engage with questions again later on.