Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I note the Minister's comments about the role of the EU in this regard. Given that Colombia is at this historic crossroads, perhaps there is something the EU can do in this regard. Some people see the free trade agreement, FTA, with the European Union as legitimising the human rights record in that country. People want to see concrete results in that area. I believe the cut in the allowance sends a bad signal, particularly in the atmosphere there at present. Perhaps the Minister would raise it again with his colleagues in the EU and also through the ambassador. This could potentially be a negative step in view of the historic nature of those discussions.

See this speech in context