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

I will make my contribution and then deal with the questions. I accompanied the Taoiseach to Brussels last week for the October European Council meeting. As he indicated, I will focus my remarks on the external relations items that were discussed on Thursday evening last. These included a wide-ranging discussion on EU relations with Turkey. Turkey retains candidate status and, although we cannot ignore the ongoing restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, a policy of constructive dialogue - keeping all available lines of communication open – remains in the best interests of the EU and the people of Turkey. We will continue to urge Turkey to fulfil its obligations as a candidate country and hope that policies which undermine democracy, human rights, the rights of minorities, including the Kurdish minority, freedom of expression, including media freedom, and the rule of law will become things of the past.

Turkish accession is not an immediate prospect in the current climate, but the EU will continue to extend the hand of friendship to all Turkish citizens. The long-term welfare of all these citizens lies at the heart of EU relations with Turkey and this critical engagement is particularly important now. We must be candid with our Turkish friends. We will continue to encourage them to return to European values and to ensure that basic human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected. It is important to note that, thanks in large part to the efforts of Turkey, there has been a significant reduction in the number of migrants losing their lives in the Aegean Sea. Turkey remains a front-line state in the migration crisis and is host to approximately 3 million Syrian refugees. The EU will continue to assist in this formidable task.

The European Council also discussed Iran in light of President Trump's decision not to certify Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA. France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European External Action Service, EEAS, all gave their strong support to the JCPOA, and confirmed that it continues to function. This is a key element of the nuclear non-proliferation global architecture and is crucial for the security of the region. The 28 member states have reaffirmed their commitment to all parts of the JCPOA and to its continued full implementation.

There was also a brief discussion on the situation in North Korea with partners expressing concern at the alarming rate at which North Korea has progressed its nuclear and missile programmes. Ireland, together with its partners, believes that the EU policy of critical engagement with the Government of North Korea remains the best approach. We will continue to combine pressure with sanctions and other measures, while keeping communication and dialogue channels open in the hope that the situation will cease to escalate. The EU is united on its position. North Korea must comply fully with international obligations, abandon its programme of nuclear weapons development and engage in meaningful dialogue with other stakeholders to bring about stability and peace to the region.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan raised the Turkey issue with me last week and she should have received a reply because we looked into that. There is no official currently at the trials. My understanding is that an attempt had been made in a similar circumstance previously, although it was not an Irish national who was on trial, and that was not allowed. However, we have officials monitoring the trials closely. Any attack on a member of Amnesty International or somebody of that stature is something we need to keep a close an eye on and we will follow this. We said at the previous Council meeting that pre-accession funding to Turkey must be reassessed in respect of where it is going. We have suggested that it could be sent-----

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