Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I thank the committee for the invitation to attend. I begin by associating myself with the Chairman's expression of sympathy and I add my own condolences and those of the Government to the families of victims of the appalling attack in Manchester on Monday. On Tuesday I spoke with the British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Boris Johnson, and told him that the Dáil and Seanad were united in expressing solidarity and recording our horror and disgust at this terrible act. As of now, there are no reports of any Irish citizens confirmed among the victims. I have received reports from our embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, of a suicide bombing there last night. I abhor such cowardly attacks. What happened in Jakarta is an affront to the Indonesian Government and the efforts to counter extremism and promote inclusion and tolerance in that country. Both Ireland and the entire European Union strongly support that. I understand that there are no reports of any foreign casualties in that case. I join the Chairman in acknowledging that our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected in Manchester and Jakarta.

Dáil Éireann has been asked to approve the following motion:

That Dáil Éireann approves the terms of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Mongolia, of the other part, signed at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on 30 April 2013, a copy of which was laid before the Dáil on 11 April 2017.

Ireland’s political, economic and cultural contacts with Mongolia have been limited in the past. The Irish community there is very small and, for the most part, transient. There is also a small community of Mongolians who have studied or worked in Ireland, which retains a strong affinity for Ireland and its people. I had the pleasure of meeting some of them when I visited last July for the ASEM Summit.

Other EU member states have stronger and deeper historical, economic and people to people links with Mongolia. Ireland’s EU membership has broadened our horizons and encourages us to strengthen our bilateral relationships with distant lands. That is increasingly important as we adjust to new political and commercial realities in the wake of the withdrawal of our neighbour, the United Kingdom, from the European Union.

Ireland has worked well with Mongolia at international level. Mongolia held the Chairmanship of the Asia-Europe Meeting, ASEM, in 2016 and hosted the 11th ASEM Summit in Ulaanbaatar in July 2016, which I attended on behalf of Ireland. There has been close co-operation within the framework of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, since Mongolia joined under Ireland’s chairmanship in 2012. Mongolia is currently a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2016 to 2018, and we take a great interest in the work of that Council.

Undoubtedly, there is room for improvement in our bilateral trade. Despite a small increase in trade between 2015 and 2016, bilateral trade is still modest between Ireland and Mongolia in both volume and value. In 2016, total merchandise trade was valued at €8.2 million, mostly exports from Ireland in that regard. There is some potential for co-operation and trade in the equine industry and possibly in agriculture, as Mongolia looks to develop these sectors.

The Irish Government has provided some modest development assistance and humanitarian assistance to Mongolia in recent times, channelled through civil society organisations.

The Irish Government has also supported the deployment of eight Irish observers on election observation missions to Mongolia, three in 2013 and a further five in 2016.

This agreement offers us, together with our EU partners, an opportunity to get to know Mongolia a little better and to identify possible opportunities for co-operation across a wide range of sectors. It is also expected to benefit the people of Mongolia and the Mongolian economy.

It is intended to supersede the current legal framework of the 1993 agreement on trade and economic co-operation between the European economic community and Mongolia. We are among the last EU member states to ratify the agreement, and I hope that the committee will be happy to approve its terms.

The main objective of the agreement is to provide a framework for strengthening the bilateral relationship between the European Union and Mongolia. The agreement is based on a commitment to promoting respect for democratic principles and fundamental human rights. It will provide for a comprehensive, wide-ranging dialogue between the European Union and Mongolia, including co-operation in a wide range of areas such as political dialogue, trade and investment, energy, tourism, the environment, development, migration, energy, science and technology, as well as maritime and aviation transport, agriculture, health and civil society. The agreement also addresses issues in the area of illegal migration, money laundering, illicit drugs, organised crime and corruption.

It is important that Ireland makes the necessary arrangements to ratify the agreement as soon as possible, as it will not enter into force until the first day of the month following the date on which the last party has notified the other of the completion of the legal procedures necessary for this purpose. If Ireland is the last member state to ratify the agreement, this will be the final impediment to the agreement’s entry into force. That would be a great shame, as the agreement promises to strengthen EU-Mongolian relations in the years ahead.

As the PCA agreement is a mixed competence agreement, it must also be ratified by all EU member states as well as by the European Union. Ireland has signed but not yet ratified the agreement. It is one of only two member states, the other being Greece, that has not yet completed the necessary ratification procedures.

The agreement was signed on 13 April 2013. MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs consented to the PCA in early December 2016. It was subsequently endorsed during the plenary session of the European Parliament, which took place this year from 13 to 16 February 2017, on 15 February 2017.

I thank the committee again. I hope this motion will receive the approval of the committee and that Dáil Éireann will approve the terms of the agreement so that we can proceed to ratify it in the near future. I am happy to deal with any issues or observations of members.