Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach indicated, I will focus my remarks on the external relations issues for discussion at the European Council. Then I will touch on some of the issues that were raised by the Deputies.

A wide-ranging exchange on Turkey is expected on Thursday evening, while non-proliferation, specifically in regard to North Korea and Iran, will also arise. Other international relations issues may also be raised by member states. It is a fact that Turkey's relationship with the EU has been under considerable strain since the attempted coup in July 2016, particularly in light of measures taken under the state of emergency, now in place for over a year. Foreign Ministers, on Monday, considered these developments, and the importance of the EU's strategic relationship with Turkey, given its key role in the region. It is important to recall that Turkey has been the victim of frequent, horrific terrorist attacks. Along with our European partners, Ireland rejects terrorism in all its forms and we stand in solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.

We support a democratic and stable Turkey. However, along with our European partners, we continue to be gravely concerned about developments which undermine democracy, human rights, the rights of minorities, including the Kurdish minority, freedom of expression, including media freedom, and the rule of law in Turkey. These are core European principles and must be respected. The fact that Turkey retains its EU candidate status does not mean that our concerns about fundamental freedoms are any less; quite the contrary. It is highly regrettable that Turkish Government decrees continue to target public servants, educators and those in the security services. The arrests of human rights defenders, including Amnesty International representatives, during the summer marked a new low. We believe that some of the measures taken under the state of emergency have been disproportionate and we would urge the Turkish authorities to consider carefully the restrictions, and recall that the basic freedoms and human rights of all citizens must be respected.

We do not believe that the EU should withdraw candidate status from Turkey but all benchmarks and criteria must be met in full, especially on fundamental rights. Unfortunately, Turkey is moving further away from meeting these crucial standards. However, a policy of engagement remains in the best interests of the EU and the people of Turkey. It is important to keep the long-term rights and interests of all of the people of Turkey in mind in our discussion on EU-Turkey relations.

The EU-Turkey statement, agreed in March 2016, which focused on migration, remains in place. Turkey is a front-line state in the migration crisis. It is host to approximately 3 million Syrian refugees, and the EU assists in this considerable challenge. While the EU-Turkey statement is not a perfect arrangement, it has led to a very real reduction in numbers of lives lost at sea, and should therefore continue.

Turning to the other external relations items, Ireland has always had a distinctive voice in disarmament and non-proliferation. This dates from our role in the non-proliferation treaty, right up to this year's Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The continuing deterioration of the situation on the Korean peninsula since the beginning of 2016 is of grave concern. The pace at which North Korea has progressed its nuclear and missile programmes presents a real threat to peace and security, in the entire north-east Asia region and beyond. Ireland believes that the EU's policy of critical engagement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should remain the cornerstone of our approach.

We fully support the international sanctions regime against North Korea. Our position is that North Korea must comply fully with international obligations, and cease all nuclear testing. A lasting and stable peaceful settlement in the region will be possible only if it abandons its programme of nuclear weapons development and engages in meaningful dialogue with other stakeholders.

The European Council is also likely to consider Iran in light of President Trump's decision not to certify Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Deputies will be aware of how hard our fellow member states and the High Representative, Ms Federica Mogherini, worked with the support of the entire EU to bring that deal about. It is the culmination of 12 years of patient diplomacy, and the EU is committed to the full and effective implementation of all parts of the JCPOA. It is expected that a measured approach is the best one for the EU to take in the period ahead, taking account of Iranian perspectives and the concerns of all sides. The EU believes that the nuclear agreement is delivering, and that all parties should fully implement it.

With regard to some of the issues raised around the future of Europe, there have been a number of speeches. Since then there has been the publication of White Papers and an outlining of possible scenarios. However, none of these are conclusive, nor are they exhaustive. We believe that they are a sounding board and a platform for discussions.

This is something that we want not only Members here in the Dáil but everybody to be involved in, and so in the coming weeks I will begin a consultation on the future of Europe. The consultation will be clear, open and transparent and it will allow all citizens to have the opportunity to have their say on what kind of a future they want in certain areas. The former Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has left the Chamber but it will not only focus on financial issues. The completion of the Single Market, the banking union, and, specifically, the digital Single Market, where we have a key focus at present, will be addressed but issues such as migration, security and defence, terrorism, environmental issues and, of course, the social issues, must be addressed in that manner as well.

With regard to Brexit, having come from the General Affairs Council meeting yesterday, as the Taoiseach has pointed out, it looks as though we will not be in a position to report sufficient progress has been achieved. There had been an expectation that there would be further progress on the citizens' rights. However, that was not the case. While it is disappointing, it is perhaps not surprising. What is important now, as Michel Barnier clearly stated, is that we need to use this week's Council meeting as a sounding board towards progress for December.

There was a question around the language and why Ireland perhaps was happy with it. Section 2 of the draft conclusions states:

The European Council ... acknowledges that, as regards Ireland, there has been some progress on convergence on principles and objectives regarding protection of the Good Friday Agreement and maintenance of the Common Travel Area, and invites the Union negotiator to pursue further refinement of these principles, taking into account the major challenge that the UK's withdrawal represents, including as regards avoidance of a hard border, and therefore expecting the UK to present and commit to flexible and imaginative solutions called for by the unique situation of Ireland.

Michel Barnier very much acknowledged Ireland's constant support and communication on these issues.

We are supporting Michel Barnier and his task force in continuing with the mandate they have been given to move things forward and obviously we are hoping for a conclusion at December's Council meeting.

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