Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 7 February 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

EU General Affairs Council Meeting: Discussion

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

Yes. It is quite a short paper. It was a submission to the General Affairs Council. It re-presents the argument that, in the accession process, so many thresholds require unanimity. Take North Macedonia for example. It had to change its name. That process took a long time. Now Bulgaria is raising issues with minorities, which again took a huge amount of diplomatic pressure. Citizens in that country are wilting because of all those issues. It is about trying to unlock those obstacles. How it legally fits into the treaties is a big question. We will circulate it to the committee. A number of issues were raised about it at the General Affairs Council. We will give the committee sight of it and members can judge themselves.

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