Ms Maria Walsh:

I thank him for not getting my name wrong. I hope everybody can see me and hear me clearly. I am delighted to be here and delighted that this conversation is happening. My request from the outset is that it happen more regularly and that we do not focus on a number of key topics but rather on one topic so we can have a really engaging conversation. The committee put a lot of meaty topics on the agenda, which I am delighted about as a representative of the LIBE committee. Ms Daly and I are often in agreement on many things when it comes to protecting our citizens, those living outside the European Union, those trying to access protection within the EU and those living within the EU now.

To go back to Senator Chambers's question about migration, which I believe another speaker also raised, there are a sizeable number of topics or key issues within migration, including asylum, child trafficking, smuggling and many more, with child trafficking and smuggling seeing huge rises within the European Union. As for the asylum and migration pact we saw launched by the Commission at the end of September, we are fortunate that Vice President Schinas, who is promoting the European way of life, was key to delivering the new pact and roadmap. I see a couple of holes in it, going back to Deputy Haughey's question about promoting the European way of life, fundamental human rights and the protection of citizens. Mental health supports, which I do not see within the roadmap, constitute one such hole. There is also the basic right to a translator, which I feel was missing from the pact, as well as proper relocation and resettlement programmes.

We also have to consider the fact that it is not just migration that is being held up by certain member states that Deputy Haughey listed but also the anti-discrimination directive, which has been held up within the Council and on which we cannot get correspondence. There are a number of key fundamental human rights errors being committed across the EU. On the plus side, however, we have a roadmap. This really should have been kicked off in a more solidified way. I believe that this did not happen in the previous mandate, and we now have to work with what we have. The roadmap is missing a few other key issues surrounding the changes we are seeing in the climate and in the context of the waves of people we know are going to arrive in the EU. They need to arrive through legal and safe pathways, ensuring that all citizens are protected, particularly women and children, who we know are statistically at most risk of getting caught up in trafficking, the sex trade and smuggling.

As for promoting the European way of life, Vice President Schinas is a part of the EPP group. I hear members' calls in respect of issues within Fidesz in Hungary. I am probably not a good person to speak about this on behalf of the EPP because I have been very outspoken about the fact that within our group we have to have a vote on this and resolve the issues surrounding Fidesz. We need to move on it quickly. Politically, it is very difficult for me, as a young, dynamic, equality-driven MEP, to have a party such as Fidesz within our group. I should probably leave it at that before I get a call from Manfred Weber. It is really important, though, and I am delighted that members' flagged it. I am working internally as well as calling externally for us to be allowed a vote on the matter and to move on.

I wanted to flag a few other things but I will throw the floor back to the Chairman because I hope we will engage in a few more questions. The one thing I will say, in case I do not get the opportunity to come back in, is that mental health should be a competency of the European Union, which it is not at this point. My request of Oireachtas colleagues is that they work with me and many other MEPs across the political landscape who are part of the alliance to bring mental health within the competency of the European Union. This is not just about mental health. Mental health touches every facet of what we talk about in the European Union. Going back to Senator Chambers's and Deputy Haughey's questions about promoting and protecting the European way of life, this is also a matter of solidarity in protecting our democracy. We see waves of change coming across Europe. We see waves of change in the US and indeed in our neighbour country of the United Kingdom. We need to do our utmost to protect our citizens at this time.