Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)
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I echo the words of welcome to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and his team to the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. I wish him the best of luck for the General Affairs Council meeting on 24 September. I welcome the fact that the report sets out comprehensive priorities for jobs and growth. In the context of our national recovery, we can sometimes lose sight of other important issues and of our purpose in promoting jobs and growth.

I also wish to raise the issue of Syria. What opportunity will be afforded to the Tánaiste, informally or formally, at the meeting with regard to the increasingly difficult situation that is emerging in that country and has been described as a sheer horror and a revulsion of human rights. The Tánaiste has taken a strong stance in this regard. Can he share with the committee his plans for the EU Presidency? How will be interface with the institutions and our partners in Europe to try to secure a peaceful situation and a human rights outcome for the people of Syria?