Mr. Maciej Popowski:

I thank committee members for their comments. I agree with them and I am very encouraged by their positive attitude to enlargement. It makes my job and the job of the team so much easier. Specifically on the points that have been raised, I will start with Senator Craughwell's comments on reconciliation. I could not agree more. This is a key. We cannot just go on ignoring the past because the past will haunt us. I picked up his idea of a conference and it is something I will be happy to discuss with my team because, as I said in my introduction, we would like to draw on the experience of member states. He mentioned the Northern Ireland peace process. The Good Friday Agreement was concluded only 20 years ago, so the people who made it happen are still around and active participants in public life. We should reach out to them and see how they can inspire people in Kosovo or other places. It is not only about Serbia and Kosovo. It goes deeper than this. We certainly need to bear this in mind.

Deputy Durkan recalled the historical context and I very much agree. This was very clearly spelled out in the strategy. There is momentum, but we also have to look at the map first. We are talking about European countries. There is also the background of atrocities, starting in Sarajevo in 1914. I have just been there and I crossed over the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. We must not forget this. There is still potential for conflict and we want to eliminate this. The whole process of enlargement is an effective measure of prevention.

I agree with Deputy Durkan that European law has to be applied by everyone, existing member states and new member states. This is why the Commission adopted the policy of fundamentals first. We will be very firm on this. It also ties in with the point made by Deputy Haughey on values and illiberal tendencies. I will not comment on this in detail because it goes well beyond my remit, but we think if a country wants to become a member of the European Union it has to play by the rules, and the rules are the same for everyone. We take them very seriously and this will not change.

With regard to the point raised by Senator Richmond on incentives, the benefits do not only come at the end as the countries also change. They do not change because of Brussels and because we tell them to change. They change because it is good for the people. In a way, we are accompanying them on this road. We also provide a lot of assistance. We want to top up significantly the pre-accession funding available for countries in the western Balkans so we can invest in roads, energy, infrastructure and the education of young people.

One of the European Union's successes is the Erasmus programme, the student exchange scheme. We intend to double the budget available for the western Balkans so that we can raise a new generation of Europeans. That is part of our package.

Turkey is a different case. It is not that Europe is moving away from Turkey, it is Turkey moving away from Europe. It is still a candidate country and we expect it to fulfil the obligations of a candidate country, to stick to certain conditions and to accept the fundamental values. We will continue our co-operation with Turkey, as difficult as it is at times. We will also focus on areas where we can support Turkish civil society, research communities, students and the younger generation, and continue our quite successful co-operation on migration management. I must give credit where it is due. The Turkish Government and the Turkish people have done a great job in accommodating those 3.5 million Syrians. They live in difficult conditions, but they are dignified conditions, and they are much better off in Turkey than they would be at home or many other transit countries, in which they sometimes find themselves.

On the timelines of the process, the target date is 2025. For clarity, this is indicative. It may happen, but it is an incentive not a guarantee. If there is a delay, there is a delay. We want to do it properly. Both the countries concerned and ourselves need to be ready for enlargement.

I thank Senator Leyden for his comments on Montenegro. I will be happy to read his recommendations. We are working very closely with the Council of Europe. It is the depository of basic conventions, for instance, and it also helps us enormously in our work on the rule of law and judicial reform. The Venice Commission also plays an important role. It was very prominent in Albania when it embarked on major judicial reform last year. When we were drafting the country reports to which I referred, we drew heavily on the expertise of the Council of Europe. Montenegro is a front-runner country which is doing well. Its progress has been clearly recognised. I am sure that it will stay on its European track and make even quicker progress.

I also thank the Senator for his kind words about the Polish constituency in Ireland.

Deputy Haughey referred to values. I commented on values but I am not well-placed to comment on the internal discussions with member states, that it the role of our political masters, particularly Vice President, Frans Timmermans, who is in charge. I agree that we must be very consistent when we talk about values and fundamental principles. That is what makes us Europeans, we want to keep it that way and despite the various tendencies, I am sure that we will.

I thank the committee for this debate. It is very important for us to get feedback from national parliaments on the work we are doing on the western Balkans.