Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Following the drowning tragedy off the Italian island of Lampedusa on 3 October in which several hundred African migrants lost their lives, the Justice and Home Affairs Council in October invited the Commission to establish a task force to identify priority actions with a view to preventing a recurrence of such tragedies. I discussed the tragedy with Prime Minister Letta of Italy recently and have committed to support all efforts at the European Council to address the awful circumstances which led to such a shocking outcome. Like all other member states, Ireland participated in the meetings of the task force on the Mediterranean and we support the conclusions reached in the task force's report. We agree that the best approach to this multifaceted problem is to focus on prevention and engagement with countries of origin.

The December Council will have its traditional annual discussion on enlargement, reviewing progress in the past year and looking ahead to the prospects for next year on the basis of the European Commission's progress reports and discussions in the General Affairs Council. Enlargement remains one of the European Union's most successful policies, fostering peace and security in the wider European region. Overall, we look forward to an ambitious EU enlargement strategy for 2014. The Minister of State, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, will provide further detail on this element.

The attention of the Heads of State and Government will also be drawn to work on energy matters. This is a key area for all economies in Europe which we will address in more detail in the spring.

The European Council may discuss recent developments in the Central African Republic. We have seen in recent weeks an alarming breakdown in law and order and basic social structures in the country and a worrying increase in intercommunal violence and gross violations of human rights. The European Union's primary focus on the security front is centred on providing support for the African Union and French efforts. We will continue to monitor the position in the coming weeks to see if and how the range of crisis management tools at the European Union's disposal which includes the Common Security and Defence Policy can be of further assistance.

The European Council will consider what happened at the Vilnius eastern partnership summit on 28 and 29 November and the current situation in Ukraine. I have been following the unfolding events in Ukraine with growing concern, in particular, the actions of the Ukrainian police to break up the peaceful protest of citizens in Kyiv. The rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and are fundamental in any society. I strongly believe they should be fully respected by the Ukrainian authorities. I again call on them to exercise restraint, respect peaceful protest and ensure all avenues of dialogue are kept open.

I understand President Tusk will update leaders on the outcome of the UN climate change conference, COP19, held in Warsaw last month.

As I stated, we have a very full agenda and I look forward to productive discussions in the days and nights ahead. I will, of course, return to the House to discuss the outcome of the European Council when we reconvene in the new year. In the meantime, I wish all Deputies and staff a very happy Christmas. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his indulgence.

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