Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the migration and asylum pact, the negotiations have not concluded and I do not expect any conclusions to be reached before the spring. There is still a journey to be undertaken on the detail of the instrument. The Department of Justice will have a look at the proposal at that juncture and then it will require a Government decision on whether Ireland will opt in. The Taoiseach was reflecting the current circumstances in the country and the major pressure we are under. As a nation, we will always show solidarity. We have shown it in abundance in our response to Ukraine. Ukrainian citizens now make up 1.9% of our population. Communities have done so much in this regard and gone above and beyond the call of duty to make Ireland feel like home for these refugees, or as much as we can considering they are coming from a war-torn country. We will also be to the forefront in protecting children, as we have been through the agreement as well. This is very important.

The Deputy mentioned the different groups. Different ideas are always floated around in informal settings on the margins of the General Affairs Council and we are sometimes asked to attend such events on the margins. As the Deputy rightly pointed out, this all comes from a renewed urgency in respect of enlargement. Since I attended my first meeting of the General Affairs Council last February, enlargement has consistently been on the agenda and spoken about. This acceleration is due to the uncertain geopolitical circumstances with Ukraine. Other actors and voices are being looked at and the western Balkans and similar areas are gaining traction and credibility in the EU's own backyard. Europe is now taking much more urgency with this approach and trying to ensure it takes the process of enlargement much more seriously. We are awaiting the update from the Commissioner in November, where he will give a forensic analysis of the different countries and how they are progressing. That will be a big event for Ukraine and other countries in terms of moving on to the next stage and formal negotiations being opened. This is an extremely urgent matter. To give a direct answer to the question, I detect a strong urgency within the EU. This has provided the fuel for many of these groups, informally, to have alignments. As the Taoiseach advised the House, in the European Council we see many informal groups meeting to discuss approaches for like-minded countries.

That aspect is linked in with the topic of qualified majority voting as well. Ireland is very much of the belief that QMV should not be a mechanism to avoid discussion on decisions. It can, of course, be used at times. We saw 11 sanction packages adopted where QMV was used to good effect. There are other areas, however, where we certainly must protect our individual and sovereign rights. Ireland is also to the forefront in this regard. In the general scheme of things, though, we believe there is scope within the current provisions of the existing treaties to absorb these countries without, I hope, having to go back to hold additional referendums and start a debate at a time when so many massive challenges are facing the European Union. These include not only trying to transform our energy system and economy to try to be more sustainable but also the uncertainty in the geopolitical circumstances. This uncertainty is increasing, as we discussed at the start of this meeting.