Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The fact that we are all here in a non-sitting week speaks volumes. I am not a member of this committee but I really wanted to be here. I know both ambassadors very well. Indeed, I acknowledge the Romanian and Polish ambassadors, who are awaiting their turns for their session shortly. While I am not a member of this committee, I am certainly a supporter.

I met Mr. Zurabashvili previously. He is probably one of the longest-established diplomats of the diplomatic corps in Ireland at this stage. He has been here more than six years or thereabouts. I have known Mrs. Miculet probably since she was here back in July 2019 when I was asked by the Ceann Comhairle to be the convenor of the then newly-established Romania-Ireland friendship group. Mrs. Miculet then asked me to arrange to set up a Moldova-Ireland friendship group. Never did I think when I became the convenor of either the Romanian or Moldovan friendship groups that they would be as relevant as they are at the moment.

The fact is that Moldova is such a small country and has done so much for this awful situation we have been in this last three weeks. It is not rich in financial resources but it is very conscious and doing absolutely everything it can. Through the Transnistria situation, and other reasons as a former Soviet state, it knows the challenges of dealing with a large next-door neighbour. As was referenced by others, we have a bit of a consciousness of how that sometimes works, in that we have a big neighbour nearby with whom we do not have perfect relations all the time.

Certainly, I wanted to be here as a non-member of this committee to express my 100% support for both Moldova and Georgia. It is really important, not just for EU membership but for the three countries - the Association Trio, as Mr. Zurabashvili referred to them in his speech - that one would not get priority over another and that they would all go in tandem.

We joined the European Union as a very poor country back in 1973 along with Denmark and the United Kingdom at the time. Membership has tended to come waves, as we know, with ten countries from 2004 and 2005 and then two more, namely, Bulgaria and Romania, and then Croatia. By and large, groups of countries join. The fact that the three countries are all former Soviet Union states means there is an affinity and synergy there. They all understand the dangers and challenges of being so close to a very large neighbour. I would not like to see any of them left behind over any of the other countries. That is a message that we as a Parliament and a country should be sending. We got a lift back in 1973. It fair to say that it transformed our country in every way - economically, socially and financially. As a society, we became more open and willing to travel and became more integrated. It was not just travel emigration-wise but the ability to go abroad, come back and bring people here.

The benefits of EU membership are absolutely clear to all of us in so many different ways. It is very much in our nature as a country to bring people in, and not draw up the drawbridge once we are in. Ireland was never like that. There are politicians here now who are related to other politicians, the names of whom I will not mention, who were very involved with German reunification and EU expansion. Other members of my own party and other parties were involved in this back in the early 2000s is in making sure that those countries all joined in that big wave, which has transformed not just eastern Europe but has also transformed Ireland in a very positive way. There are so many Polish people and Romanian people here now. There may not be as many Moldovan or Georgian people here but they are certainly very welcome. Ireland is a better society for all of those people being here. I just wanted to put this on the record. I do not have a lot of questions because many of my queries have already been answered. I was watching the statements and the contributions from my office. I support the Moldovan and the Georgian ambassadors and their countries in their journey towards EU membership. I look forward to it happening sooner rather than later, and to welcoming them into the EU community. They are already welcome to Ireland.