Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not think that what the EPF does really squares with the earlier part of the Tánaiste's response. I will introduce another aspect, namely, the EU Trust Fund for Africa. Much concern has been expressed on that, including by the EU Court of Auditors. There is concern that the trust fund is spending EU aid money in ways that contradict development and undermine human rights. Libya is one example. It is money from the trust fund that is keeping detention centres there, in which conditions are appalling, going. In the Sudan, EU funds have been used to train Sudanese border police and support the activities of the rapid support force, which is really the Janjaweed. Ireland was rightly very strong in condemning the killings and rapes in Sudan some months ago but that violence is being carried out by forces whose training was funded by the EU. The trust fund has also been misused in Eritrea and Niger. All that has led to there being more deaths among migrants crossing the Sahara than among those seeking to traverse the Mediterranean. Does Ireland have a legal obligation to contribute to the EU Trust Fund for Africa?

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