Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to address the House in advance of the European Council next week. The outcome of the UK referendum will, of course, determine the focus of the meeting. The current migration situation will also be discussed, as will a range of economic issues. There will also be a discussion on some foreign and security policy issues which the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, will address in his closing remarks.

On Thursday, Britain will vote on whether to remain in or to leave the European Union. Next week's meeting will provide a first opportunity for collective discussion of the referendum result and its implications. Clearly the substance and significance of this discussion will depend on which way the vote has gone. This has been a hard fought campaign on both sides. The last few days have been overshadowed by the murder of Jo Cox last week. I was in the UK when this happened and I would like, once again, to extend my sincere condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. She was an exemplary public representative who lost her life doing one of the most important things all of us in this House do, namely, serving our constituencies.

From the outset of the EU negotiation process, Ireland committed to playing a supportive and constructive role. In the same spirit, members of the Government have visited Britain to engage with Irish communities there, to encourage them to vote and to explain our perspective on the issues. There have also been several visits to Northern Ireland, for which the stakes are particularly high. I thank all Deputies, including those from the Opposition, who have involved themselves in this effort. It is my hope, of course, that we will continue our EU journey with the United Kingdom, a journey that we began together over 40 years ago.

Whatever the outcome, however, we are ready. In the event of a vote to remain, the next steps are relatively straightforward. The agreement reached in February would take immediate effect and its various elements would be implemented. A framework has been developed on a whole-of-Government basis to identify contingencies that could arise in the event of a vote to leave. This would provide the basis for the intensive work which would be required over a lengthy period across very many sectors. We would work with our EU partners and with the UK to achieve outcomes which protect Irish interests, including co-operation between North and South, as far as possible.

Were there to be a vote to leave, the European Union and the UK would be entering into a very different area indeed. It would very probably take some time for the path forward to become clear. An orderly and constructive process would be critical but, in all circumstances, Ireland will remain a committed member of the European Union. As a competitive, diversified and global economy, we value our access to a single market of over 500 million people and the benefits our exporters derive from EU trade agreements with other countries. More broadly, we greatly value being part of a Union with other like-minded democracies which share our values and interests.

The migrant and refugee situation rightly remains an issue of the highest priority. At next week's meeting there will be another detailed discussion. The EU has developed a range of measures, including resettlement and relocation measures, an EU-Africa fund and an EU-Turkish refugee facility. There has been good progress on the establishment of a European coast and border guard, and a package of other measures agreed with Turkey. Many of these measures are having a positive impact. Reports indicate that the numbers crossing the Aegean Sea, for example, have reduced very substantially since the EU-Turkey deal was agreed in March and this is to be welcomed. However, the route from Libya to Italy remains very perilous. Implementation of some of the measures has, for a variety of reasons, been far too slow. A significant focus of next week's discussion, therefore, will be on implementation and there will be a major focus on the external dimension of the crisis.

The Commission's proposed migration partnership framework aims at ensuring coherence between EU migration policy and its external and development policies. Overall, we welcome the framework and its focus on working even more closely with countries of origin and transit, as well as countries hosting large numbers of displaced people, and we support its intention to build on existing policies in this area. Ireland continues to make its own contribution.

In September 2015, the Government decided to take up to 4,000 persons in need of international protection. There has been good progress on the resettlement of refugees from outside the Union and we are on course to meet our target of 520 by the end of this year. On relocation, progress has been slow, as it has been for all partners, for a variety of reasons outside of our control. Thankfully, implementation here is at last beginning to speed up. Today, I have been advised by officials that the next group of 28 individuals to arrive under this framework is en routefrom Greece. We wish them well on their journey and look forward to welcoming them to our shores. A further group of 40 individuals is expected to arrive next month.

In terms of humanitarian assistance, Ireland has provided over €42 million in response to the Syria crisis since 2011, and has pledged a further €20 million in 2016. Last year, 8,592 men, women and children were rescued thanks to the efforts of our naval vessels in the Mediterranean. The LE Róisínhas been on search and rescue missions from 12 May of this year and has rescued 893 people to date. We are very proud of the efforts of her crew and I wish them well for the rest of their mission.

The June European Council will address a number of economic issues under the broad heading of jobs, growth and competitiveness. One of these is the European semester and, in particular, the country-specific recommendations issued by the Commission in May. Broadly speaking, Ireland accepts our three recommendations, which cover fiscal policies, jobless households and child care and non-performing loans. We are also broadly supportive of the progress made in streamlining the European semester process.

The European Council will also discuss the Single Market. The Commission strategy presented last October was a crucial initiative and was given a strong endorsement by the December European Council. We must renew EU momentum as a crucial driver of jobs, growth and competitiveness. This includes unlocking the full potential of the digital single market, which is the responsibility of the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Dara Murphy. We want to press ahead with a high level of ambition, agreeing concrete timelines and delivering results, with the European Council continuing to take an overview of progress. The European Council will also review progress on the European fund for strategic investments. It appears to have had a positive impact but there is a sense that more can be done. All obstacles to productive investment in the economy must be tackled.

Turning to deepening economic and monetary union, the European Council will look at progress on initial proposals made by the Commission last year, pending the publication of longer-term proposals next year. Our overall position on EMU remains clear. The focus needs to be on full and effective implementation of the wide range of reforms that have already been agreed over recent years. There will be an update on the Union's efforts to combat tax avoidance. Just overnight, Finance Ministers agreed an anti-tax avoidance directive. Ireland has been to the forefront of the implementation of OECD recommendations on base erosion and profit shifting and we have supported the final compromise reached on this directive on the basis that it was consistent with the OECD BEPS report and should respect member state sovereignty on tax issues. Finally, there will be further consideration of the difficult situation in the dairy and pigmeat sectors and Ireland will support efforts by the Commission to alleviate the serious problems faced by many farmers.

The June European Council will, therefore, address a number of issues of great importance. Let us hope it will not have to spend too much time on the outcome of the UK referendum. I will of course make a statement to the House following the meeting. I look forward to hearing from Deputies and I will keep leaders updated as we go through Thursday and early Friday morning if there is anything about which they should know.

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