Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to read my response regarding Africa first and then to go through the questions Deputies have asked. There will probably still be time at the end if any of the Deputies wish to ask further specific questions. One of the points made was that I am not the Minister for Health so I cannot answer questions relating to health. I can answer on what I did at the General Affairs Council last week, but that involves a wider Government response as well.

I thank the Deputies for their statements and questions and also for the solidarity they are showing on Brexit. We are unified on that approach here and I am very keen for that to continue. The European Council, as the Taoiseach said, discussed external relations. The focus this time was on the relationship with Africa and African countries, but a number of other issues were also discussed.

Leaders at the summit agreed to hold a strategic discussion on the southern neighbourhood, that is, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, in December coming.

The European Council also returned to its discussion on Belarus. Leaders again condemned the continuing violence against peaceful protesters, which we on every side of this House again condemn, I am sure, and expressed our solidarity with Lithuania and Poland in light of retaliatory measures imposed on them by Belarus.

The leaders held a lengthy discussion on Turkey at their meeting on 1 and 2 October and further discussions last week in light of renewed unilateral and provocative maritime activity by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. In light of Turkey's recently announced plan to open the coastline of Varosha, a city on the eastern edge of Cyprus, the European Council again urged respect for UN Security Council resolutions and reiterated its full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus. Leaders will return to this topic in upcoming meetings.

Relations with Russia again featured at the meeting, this time in the context of the 2014 shooting down of flight MH17. The European Council called on the Russian Federation to continue the trilateral negotiations between Australia, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation. The victims of this tragedy deserve truth and the leaders expressed their support for all efforts to establish truth, justice and accountability.

The major item on the external relations agenda was the EU's relationship with Africa. A summit with African Union leaders had originally been planned for October 2020 and will now take place in 2021. Last week's discussion was a welcome opportunity for European leaders to consider our strategic priorities for our relationship with our neighbouring continent. While there is extensive co-operation between the EU and Africa across a range of areas, there is potential for much greater coherence and synergy. Leaders confirmed the high priority the EU places on strengthening its strategic relations with Africa and on its partnership with the African Union. Ireland fully supports this approach. A more ambitious and effective EU-Africa partnership is a strategic objective of Ireland's Africa strategy. Stronger political partnerships with Africa and African countries are essential to consolidate peace, stability and sustainable development. Ireland has strong partnerships right across the continent and we will build on these to help deliver a strong partnership between the EU and Africa. Co-operation between the EU and Africa is more important than ever in the context of the current pandemic. We must show solidarity with Africa in the fight against Covid-19, including through work on vaccines as global public goods. To help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Council also agreed to further international debt relief efforts for African countries. In this respect the Council was asked to prepare a common approach by the end of November 2020.

While the EU is Africa's biggest trading partner, our trading relationship is not as substantial as it could be. The African Continental Free Trade Area has enormous potential to advance economic integration in Africa and to boost EU-Africa trade and investment. We must work in partnership in order that Africa and Europe can each achieve green and digital transformations to underpin our shared future prosperity. Engagement with African issues and with African partners will be a key part of Ireland's UN Security Council membership from 2021. The EU-African summit, which is planned for 2021, presents a valuable opportunity to raise the level of political co-operation between our two continents. By working together in support of multilateralism, the EU and Africa can make a greater impact on the global agenda.

Again, I thank Deputies for their statements and questions. I assure them that the Taoiseach will continue to report to the House in advance of and following the regular meetings of the European Council. I will now do my best to deal with the questions that arose.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked for an explanation of the text of the European Council conclusions. Members asked the Commission "to give timely consideration to unilateral and time-limited contingency measures that are in the EU's interest". What I think is meant by this is that the European Commission will look at the issue of state aid, what we can do to help business in the event of a no-deal Brexit and what other contingencies will be there. It is notable that despite the mood music being better and the fact that talks are proceeding, there are - I would say this at the General Affairs Council as well - more countries engaging on this issue and wondering what are the preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

To explain to Deputy McDonald, that is there in terms of important preparation.

Deputy Brady raised an interesting point on nuclear co-operation and nuclear materials. That is an area of common interest between Britain and the European Union and was a feature of the political declaration last year. It is something Britain wants progress on and is willing to make agreement on despite the fact that, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, it is not part of Europe. That is obviously a critical issue for us where I, Deputy Ó Murchú and Deputy Brady live on the east coast. Progress is being made and hopefully that will be finalised but the Deputy is right to raise the issue.

I will give the Deputy the exact answer on the issue of the Moria camp. The actual mechanics of that are a matter for the Departments of Justice and Equality and Children and Youth Affairs. However, the issue of migration is, obviously, a key feature of what leaders do at the European Council and is a key issue when one deals with member states, particularly, in the Mediterranean area. We are aware that, this year, 675 migrants lost their lives - the poor souls - after crossing the Mediterranean Sea. We notified the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, and she notified the Commission that Ireland will admit 50 people in family groups who were displaced from Moria and who are beneficiaries of international protection as part of our programme. We will relocate four unaccompanied minors and this forms part of a previous commitment to accept six unaccompanied minors, eight of whom arrived in the State in June.

Deputies Howlin and Mac Lochlainn raised the issue of fish. Deputy Mac Lochlainn asked us to hold the ground in this regard. That is important. The Taoiseach and I met with President Macron and my counterpart, Mr. Clément Beaune, last week and the issue of fish, it must be said, was really the main item on the agenda. Holding the ground is what we are doing. The Government has forged an informal alliance among European Council members on the issue of fish and has certainly been in touch with Mr. Michel Barnier about the importance of that issue. It is crucially important for our economic prospects but, particularly, in areas that do not really have other economic prospects. The British see it as a totemic issue of nationhood. It is that, but it has practical consequences in terms of both jobs and the food supply. It is important. The Government is therefore very much holding the ground. In my discussions with European colleagues, namely, the Belgian deputy Prime Minister and my French and Dutch counterparts, the issue of fish has been part of the agenda. That is the same with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue. He had a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Michel Barnier, as did the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, at which the issue was high on the agenda. I assure fishing communities right across the country that we have their backs on this matter, which is critical for us. We will, however, let the negotiations play out. I will not say too much more about that.

I was interested by the comments of Deputies Carthy and Fitzpatrick on the issue of preparations. I am aware Deputy Carthy rowed back his criticism somewhat in the context of us not holding roadshows at this time of year when he acknowledged after some time that this was obviously because of the pandemic. The Department of Foreign Affairs hosts a monthly Brexit stakeholder forum. As I understand it, politicians are invited to attend. I will check that but we do not have massive numbers of political representatives in attendance and, certainly, those who have been present have not contributed. I propose to hold a Brexit preparedness briefing for members of the Oireachtas. I will arrange that with the officials. The complaints in this regard are not valid. We are doing a huge amount and it is up to all of us in our own communities to show leadership on this.

Deputy McGrath asked whether there will be customs checks. There will not be customs checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic but, deal or no deal, there will be customs checks between Britain and the island of Ireland. That is the reality. I am concerned that not every business is really in the zone for that change. We are certainly doing as much as we can-----

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