Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have an opportunity to wrap up today's important debate regarding the forthcoming European Council meeting. My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Dara Murphy, would usually give this statement, but he is in Luxembourg today at the General Affairs Council, where the key focus is on preparations for the European Council.

I am confused about the attempted distortion of the comments made and the questions asked by the Minister, Deputy Noonan, in both our national interest and the interests of protecting the eurozone at the last meeting of the Eurogroup. I often wonder what questions some members of the Opposition would ask should they ever be in a position to attend such meetings. The question the Minister asked was very straightforward. It was based on comments made by the ECB regarding emergency liquidity assistance and how long it could be continued. In fact, it would have been irresponsible not to ask such a question. If Deputy Paul Murphy thinks we want to go back to the days when Irish Ministers did not bother attending European ministerial meetings, or if he thinks that people attending meetings should stick their fingers in their ears and say nursery rhymes, that is fair enough. The Minister asked prudent questions in the national interests and in the interest of the eurozone. The overwhelming majority of people in Greece wish to remain in the eurozone, which is also the declared public position of this Government.

As the Taoiseach has mentioned, I will address the security and defence element of the European Council. Security and defence issues have been scheduled for review at this European Council meeting since December 2013, when Heads of State and Government adopted substantive conclusions regarding the development of the Union's common security and defence policy, CSDP. The 2013 conclusions addressed three areas: increasing the effectiveness of the CSDP, developing and providing capabilities to support the CSDP, and improving the ability of the European Union's industry to provide those capabilities. Good progress has been made since then. The objective has been to deliver tangible and deployable capabilities so that the Union is in a position to launch a CSDP mission in a timely and efficient manner when and where needed. Since December 2013, four new CSDP operations have been launched, one in Ukraine, two in the Central African Republic and one in Mali. In addition, a maritime security strategy and an action plan for its implementation were agreed in 2014, as was an EU cyber-defence policy framework. In the context of the European Defence Agency, a policy framework for long-term and systematic co-operation was approved by Ministers.

This week's European Council is expected to give its backing to further improving the effectiveness, visibility and impact of CSDP. Ireland fully supports this objective. We have been an active participant in both military and civilian CSDP missions since its inception. The European Union's partnership with the UN has made a critical contribution to crisis management globally. We look forward to further strengthening this strategic partnership.

In addition, the Heads of State and Government are this week expected to approve the preparation by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of a new European foreign and security policy strategy. Since the last European security strategy was agreed in 2003, we have witnessed profound changes in the security environment. The EU is now surrounded by an arc of instability to the east and the south. Technology has brought great progress in people's lives, but it has also opened up new fronts of attack in cyberspace. Competition for scarce resources and the steady creep of climate change increase the risk of instability. Whereas the 2003 strategy focused on the security dimension, the intention is that the new strategy, to be completed in 2016, will cover both foreign and security policy, recognising that both strands of the EU's external action are fundamentally interlinked. Ireland fully supports this comprehensive approach and stands ready to contribute as the strategy is further developed.

Tragic events in Paris earlier this year prompted a renewed focus on security threats within the Union's borders. The solidarity demonstrated with the Government and people of France after the terror attacks was striking. Heads of State and Government convened an emergency session and committed to working together to ensure the security of Europe's citizens, prevent radicalisation, safeguard our values and co-operate with international partners. The Council is expected to call for implementation of the EU internal security strategy, which was recently renewed for the period 2015 to 2020 on the basis of a Commission communication. The strategy sets out the contribution the EU can make to protecting its citizens from threats posed by terrorism, organised crime and cyber-crime. No EU country is immune from the terrorist threat. We are stronger when we work together, sharing information and expertise and developing counter-narratives to the extremism that foments hatred and intolerance.

As the Taoiseach explained earlier-----

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