Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The conclusions on Ukraine were unanimously adopted. I will briefly address the issue of Libya within the time constraints. Last week the Heads of State and Government decided that as soon as the agreement to form the government of national unity is reached, the European Union stands ready to contribute by making full use of all its instruments. It is important, notwithstanding the recent terrible events in Libya, that the European Union should play a very strong role in supporting the Libyan people. The EU high representative, Federica Mogherini, is working on proposals including possible options under the common security and defence policy. I do not wish to prejudge the outcome of her deliberations but if in due course there is an agreement at EU level on the need for CSDP activities in support of security arrangements in Libya, Ireland will give careful consideration to any request it may receive from the EU with regard to participation in those activities. The triple lock will apply on this or any future intervention by our Defence Forces. The triple lock consists of the UN, the Dáil and the Government.

In the time available to me I will make my concluding remarks. On St. Patrick's Day I attended the General Affairs Council which prepared the European Council meeting which took place two days later and included an extensive discussion on the draft conclusions. On the subject of energy union I emphasised the importance of interconnections with peripheral regions as we discussed earlier. The Taoiseach also discussed this topic. It is very important that this acceptance of our peripheral status is included. The Taoiseach referred to my recent attendance at the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs on the European semester. At the General Affairs Council I emphasised the need to make the process more open and inclusive and to ensure stronger engagement at national level. There is a much longer process for the European semester. Members may recall last year it was only a number of days. I was a member of the finance committee last year and there was quite a high level of dissatisfaction at that fact. Hopefully this year there will be greater engagement. It is not just a matter for the finance committee and we would encourage other sectoral committees to engage in the European semester process. The extension of time has been made available for more national debate and we urge as many committees as feel it is appropriate to engage with the process.

The European Council also discussed the Eastern partnership in view of the upcoming summit in Riga. The Heads of State and Government reaffirmed the European Union's commitment to the Eastern partnership which provides a framework for the EU's relationship with six countries of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. The leaders committed to strengthening EU relations with each of the six countries Eastern partners on the basis of differentiation and taking into account each country's individual level of ambition for its relations with Europe and also bearing in mind that these are in line with the European Union's interests and values. This was the point to which I referred earlier in the debate about the importance of engagement with countries involved in the Eastern partnership.

The European Council also urged member states to complete their ratification on EU association agreements with the three partners, Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine. The House approved the terms of these association agreements following a debate last January and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will ensure that formal ratification procedures are completed in advance of the Riga summit. The EU will continue its discussions with the three other Eastern partners, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, to further the EU's bilateral and multilateral co-operation, as appropriate, under the Eastern partnership umbrella.

Leaders agreed that the summit will be a key opportunity to convey the message that the Eastern partnership is not directed against any third country and that the EU is not seeking to create dividing lines in Europe. The European Council also looked to the future of the Eastern partnership and called for enhanced co-operation in a number of areas including, state building, mobility and people-to-people contacts, market opportunities and interconnections in the transport and energy sectors.

The conclusions adopted by the European Council clearly illustrate the commitment of the European Union to Libya in this time of crisis. The EU is considering how best it can respond to this crisis and I refer to the EU high representative, Federica Mogherini. The most recent round of the UN-brokered political dialogue commenced in Morocco last Friday. Bernardino Leon, the UN special representative, expressed his view that we are now in a decisive moment and this is clearly the case. As he pushes for an inclusive agreement on the establishment of a unity government and related security arrangements, Mr. Leon has Ireland's full support and that of the European partners. The continued fighting and the actions by groups affiliated with ISIS, which we have witnessed in recent days, are very grim warning signs. If unresolved, the crisis in Libya will lead to a catastrophic impact which will not be limited to Libya's frontiers but rather will be felt across north Africa, the Mediterranean, as well as the rest of Europe.

I thank Members for their questions.

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