Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose take Questions 1 to 34, inclusive, together. For some time but certainly over the past four months, the European agenda has been dominated first by the negotiations over Greece's financial situation and now by the migration crisis which has seen such dreadful human suffering as people flee war and insecurity in search of a better life. It is no surprise that these two themes were the main focus of the European Council meetings in June, September and October. The Greek issue also necessitated three European summits - one in June and two in July. Of course, the European Council also discussed other issues on which I have reported to the House and which I will recall in this answer.

Going back to the first of those European Councils, I recall that I reported to the House on 1 July in some detail on the outcome of the European Council of 25 and 26 June. At that meeting Heads of State and Government had urged Prime Minister Tsipras to make every effort to conclude an agreement and put an end to the instability which was having such a detrimental effect on the Greek economy and people. At the time negotiations were being taken forward with the institutions and by Finance Ministers through the Eurogroup. However, following the breaking off of negotiations by the Greek Government, the holding of a referendum on 5 July and the radical deterioration of Greece’s financial position, it was felt the situation in Greece required a special European Summit meeting on 7 July.

It was agreed that the Greek Government would on Thursday, 9 July at the latest present proposals for a comprehensive and specific reform agenda for assessment by the three institutions and presentation to the Eurogroup. The Eurogroup considered these proposals at meetings on 11 and 12 July prior to the European Summit. I attended the special meetings on 7 July and 12 and 13 July. After lengthy and difficult discussions the European Summit reached agreement on a series of measures that enabled negotiations on a third programme of assistance to begin between Greece and the institutions. Satisfactory progress in these negotiations and the implementation by Greece of a number of very demanding conditions allowed for political agreement to be reached at Eurogroup level on 14 August and for a first disbursement of additional support on 20 August.

Throughout all of the European Council and European Summit negotiations I expressed Ireland’s understanding and empathy with the difficult situation faced by the Greek people. I highlighted our willingness to negotiate a way forward and achieve a sustainable solution that would take account of the realities of the situation in Greece, while also respecting existing commitments. I stressed our determination to ensure Greece could continue as a member of the euro area. At both of the European Summits in July I intervened along these lines and participated in the summit’s negotiations on the texts of the conclusions. The negotiations were, undoubtedly, very difficult and Greece remains in a very challenging situation. However, if the agreed measures continue to be taken forward swiftly in accordance with the commitments made, there is a real basis for Greece, with the support of partners, to return to stability and growth within the euro area. That is the objective towards which all countries have worked and will continue to work.

The issue of youth unemployment was not specifically discussed at the European Summits. However, the importance of supporting growth and job creation in Greece as part of an overall agreement was fully recognised and is reflected, in particular, in the final paragraph of the 12 July European Summit conclusions which deals with the funding of investment in Greece, in drawing on up to €35 billion from the EU budget.

I have had no scheduled bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Tsipras. I did, of course, see and speak to him at the European Summit meetings and the European Council meetings and sent a letter of congratulations following his re-election on 20 September.

The extraordinary European Council meeting on 23 September was entirely dedicated to the issue of migration. The meeting of the European Council on 15 October dealt with several issues of importance to the Union but the discussion focused, above all, on migration. Over the course of both European Council meetings Heads of State and Government agreed to take a number of further steps as part of the European Union's comprehensive response to the crisis. These focused on co-operation with countries of origin and transit, particularly Turkey, strengthening the European Union’s external borders, managing the influx of refugees to Europe and addressing root causes, including through seeking to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Libya.

There were also short discussions at the October European Council on the five Presidents’ report on completing economic and monetary union and on the UK proposals for EU reform, with an understanding the European Council would return to both issues in December. President Hollande made a presentation in advance of the Global Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, which will open in November in Paris, and the European Council also noted the publication of the international and independent report on the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine. I delivered a comprehensive statement on the October European Council to the House on 20 October.

To turn again to the issue of migration, people have been shocked and saddened by the human consequences of the deepening crisis. The European Council has worked hard to meet the political and organisational challenges it poses. The Irish response to the migration crisis has been prompt and active and we continue to be engaged across a number of fronts. We have consistently emphasised the need for a compassionate, practical and comprehensive approach to tackling the crisis, aimed at achieving a Iong-term and sustainable solution. I set out the details in my recent statement on the October European Council. There is broad agreement that a comprehensive approach is required to this complex issue, one which addresses immediate humanitarian needs and the various factors which contribute to the huge flows of people. Progress is being made on many of the measures agreed at the June, September and October meetings, including in reinforcing internal solidarity within the Union, reviewing practical measures that can be applied to strengthen the European Union’s external borders developing "hotspots", that is, specific locations for the processing of asylum appeals and increasing co-operation with, or support for, those countries from which most migrants originate or through which they pass.

As ever, Ireland stands ready to play an appropriate part in the collective EU response to the crisis. Although we are not a participant in some areas such as Frontex operations which consider the external borders, we will complement these efforts with our own national initiatives consistent with our common travel area with the United Kingdom and our non-membership of the Schengen area. For example, Ireland intends to provide six liaison officers to work on the issue of relocation from within the European Union.

The question of a possible future European border guard system was discussed at the emergency meeting of Heads of State and Government in September and again at the October Europe Council. This is, of course, for Schengen member states to consider in the first instance. It is clear, however, that much more remains to be done. The situation on the ground remains extremely challenging.

Follow-up work on the decisions already taken and the commitments made is being taken forward by Justice Ministers, in particular. There will be a further special meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 9 November. In addition, in Brussels on 25 October there was an emergency meeting convened by President Juncker of leaders from the countries, EU and non-EU, particularly affected by migration through the western Balkans route.

One of the central components of the European Council discussions was co-operating with third countries. Turkey is paramount in this regard. The October European Council in its formal conclusions expressed its condolences to the people of Turkey following the Ankara bomb attack and pledged its support to fight terrorism. The Commission has accelerated co-operation in recent weeks and on the eve of the October European Council negotiated an action plan aimed at supporting Turkey in its current challenge of hosting over 2 million refugees from Syria and enlisting its assistance in reducing the migration flow. The European Council gave its support to the Commission by welcoming the action plan and signalled its openness, in return, to helping Turkey to work within existing frameworks towards visa liberalisation and a range of enhanced political and economic co-operation measures. It was recognised that the accession process needed to be re-energised in accordance with the negotiating structures and relevant Council conclusions which set out the procedures and criteria which had to be respected.

The European Council underscored that this comprehensive co-operation agenda had to be based on shared responsibility, mutual commitments and delivery on both sides. No one is under any Illusion about how challenging it will be to achieve the substantive step-up in relations now envisaged. At the same time, Turkey plays a geographically and politically central role in its region and as an EU neighbour and candidate country, it is hard to imagine solutions to the current crisis which do not involve it very substantially. Therefore, we hope rapid progress can be made in the coming period on the issues set out in the action plan.

Discussions also touched on the upcoming Valletta Summit. This summit will aim at finding agreement with African partners in a fair and balanced manner on tackling the root causes and supporting development, as well as on an effective return and readmission and dismantling the criminal networks that are exploiting the situation and putting lives in danger.

The European Council discussions in September and October touched on the wider Middle East region, where seeking to end the conflict in Syria and creating conditions to allow for those in exile to return home obviously remain fundamental. The shared view of the Council that the Assad regime bears the greatest responsibility for the more than 250,000 deaths from the conflict and the millions of displaced people was clear. It was also made clear that the only path towards a solution will come through a political process on the basis of the Geneva communiqué of 2012.

There were no formal items on other specific countries of the Middle East on the agenda of the European Council meetings in June, September or October. However, the situations in Lebanon and Jordan, as well as those in Israel and Palestine, in particular, were briefly mentioned. This was the case in June when there was a progress report on the development of the new European security strategy for the future and again in September when the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, briefed Heads of State and Government on his visit to countries of the region. From Ireland’s perspective, the deteriorating situation in Israel and Palestine, in particular in East Jerusalem, is a matter of very great concern. Violence will not bring a solution to the long-standing challenges facing the Israeli and Palestinian people. I deplore any resort to violent attacks on civilians and urge all sides to refrain from any provocative actions.

The October European Council did not discuss the OECD base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, report, but Ireland participated fully in the BEPS process and is committed to implementing those aspects which are classified as minimum standards. These relate to country-by-country reporting, tax treaty changes and transfer pricing. Budget 2016 already began making provision in line with some of the BEPS minimum standards and Ireland has now joined the working group tasked with designing the multilateral instrument which will give effect to many of the measures.

The European Council did not discuss homelessness in Ireland. I had no scheduled bilateral meetings in the margins of the euro summit meetings or in the margins of the European Council meetings in June, September or October. However, I did speak with several counterparts, including Chancellor Merkel, at those meetings. I met separately with the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, in Rome on 10 July. During that meeting we reviewed a range of issues on the EU agenda, including the situation in Greece and the migration crisis. We also discussed proposals to enhance our bilateral co-operation. I also discussed a range of important issues with President Hollande during our bilateral meeting in Paris on 3 September. These included the migration crisis, climate change and energy and development relating to Greece, as well as bilateral issues. I met with the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, in London on 18 June. Our discussion focused on migration and bilateral co-operation. Of course, we also discussed the UK-EU relationship.

There is no doubt that the continuing effects of the economic and fiscal crisis combined with the ongoing challenges of globalisation and demographic change have had consequences for public confidence in EU institutions, as is also the case for national institutions in many countries. However, I believe that a large majority of Europe's citizens still look to the EU as indispensable in ensuring that Europeans can work together to face common challenges. We should also recognise that the current migration crisis has arisen in part because of the EU's success. The EU has evolved to become a beacon of security, stability and prosperity, so much so that people are prepared to risk their lives to seek sanctuary here. The European Council, the Commission and the Parliament have recognised that we must focus relentlessly on the key issues which affect citizens' lives and their futures and I believe that this is reflected in the policy and legislative priorities the institutions have set for themselves, most recently in the Commission's annual work programme which was published on 28 October. I am sorry for the long reply.

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