Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank both ambassadors for their presentations and, more especially, their assistance during our visit. Of the many visits I have made over my parliamentary career, it was one of the most impactive. The members who travelled talked privately before this meeting. All of us took some time when we came home to reflect on the volume of issues with which we were presented. On my behalf and, I am sure, on behalf of everyone else involved, I thank all those we met, both in Romania and Moldova, for their absolute openness. There was an extremely open, frank and inclusive discussion on all of the realities and all of us came back with a sense of professionalism and generosity in meeting an unprecedented crisis. That view is expressed in our report which will be published imminently. I hope the ambassadors will convey to their Governments and, more especially, the peoples of both their nations our awe and admiration for the way in which they have gone about meeting this unprecedented crisis. We came back determined to redouble our efforts in explaining the depth of the crisis, which is unprecedented in modern European history, but also to see how we can assist matters.

I will deal with a number of specific points. I do not know if we have an update on the 500 refugees Ireland has undertaken to accept from Moldova and whether they have arrived here. That was one of the issues we said we would follow up on as soon as we came back. Perhaps the ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Larisa Miculet, has an update. If not, I suggest we make direct contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs to find out what is happening in that respect.

The second issue, one we were all mindful of, is that while there is substantial international support mediated through international organisations, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF, there is a dearth of direct support to the Governments of Moldova and Romania, particularly the former, to meet the pressures. We had an extraordinary meeting with the Moldovan health minister, Dr. Nemerenco, who described in great detail the pressures on the health system as it was opened up to the 100,000 Ukrainian refugees who are now in Moldova. In the context of the country's population and capacity, the pressure is enormous. We need to give direct support to deal with that. The ambassador referred to the education system and other state systems. Direct government-to-government financial support is needed in addition to the support provided through international organisations.

As members will be aware, the issues we were mindful of are that the conflict may migrate towards Odessa, that Odessa, a large modern city, may be attacked and that the consequences of mass migration from Odessa through Palanka into Moldova would overwhelm Moldova, bluntly, if it arrived at a scale of 100,000 people per day. Romania is already planning to support Moldova to ease the pressure there but we all need to be part of that easing of pressure because should that happen - please God, it will not - it would be a human catastrophe. As we have seen, rockets landed in Odessa last weekend. When we were in Palanka, a 30-minute drive from Odessa, that possibility was made abundantly clear to us. The stated ambition of creating a Russian corridor through to Transnistria in Moldova, which was at the edges of our fears, is now a potential reality to which we need to be alert.

All of us understood the scale of the support Romania was providing but we were taken aback by the professionalism and organisation we saw, particularly in Suceava. At the Siret crossing point, we were concerned about a range of issues, including the security of migrants coming across and the potential for exploitation. The organised and professional security cordon that ensured nobody could enter the Siret region without proper identification, etc., was hugely impressive.

On the issue of supports, I was struck by the useful initiative of the UNHCR in providing Ukrainians coming into Moldova or Romania, once registered, a card with $100 per person per month. This approach has a variety of positives. It gives the individuals concerned independence and protects their dignity, which is extremely important, but it also helps the local community by providing spending power within it. That is vital. Is that model working and is it extensive enough? How can we support it?

My final question is on practical steps we need to take. It struck us as odd that there are so many direct connections between Ireland and Romania and none to Moldova. Is a direct air link to Chiinu in the pipeline or is there anything the committee could usefully do in relation to that? Creating markets would also be practical. We had the great pleasure of sampling a great variety of Moldovan produce - food, drink, etc. - when we were there, which would certainly have a market here. Maybe we could seek to assist with that as well. Those are my opening thoughts.