Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on the European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to accept the following measure: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No. 514/2014 laying down general provisions on the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund amending Regulation (EU) 514/2014 laying down general provisions on the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and on the instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management and amending Regulation (EU) No. 516/2014 establishing the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1147 establishing the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 30th June, 2022.

Today, I am seeking the approval of the House to proceed with the formal opt-in to the amendments to the 2014 to 2020 and the 2021 to 2027 programmes of the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, AMIF. Under the AMIF, the EU provides financial support for a comprehensive approach to the management of migration in the European Union. As the House will be aware, Ireland is required to opt in formally to certain EU home affairs instruments under arrangements in place for non-Schengen member states. This includes the new 2021 to 2027 AMIF programme.

The opt-in process requires both Government and Oireachtas approval. Following Oireachtas debate and approval on 3 February 2022, Ireland agreed to opt in to the 2021 to 2027 programme. The European Commission accepted Ireland's opt-in on 27 March 2022. However, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has adopted amendments to the AMIF regulation to support member states to manage the arrival of displaced persons from Ukraine. Ireland may be able to access €500,000 by virtue of these amendments and this can be allocated to projects to support the integration of Ukrainian displaced persons.

Opting in to this amendment is important to signal Ireland's ongoing support for and participation in the AMIF programme. I obtained Government approval at the Government meeting last week and this motion is being moved in both Houses of the Oireachtas today. Each member state participating in the fund must produce a national programme setting out its objectives and plans for how the funding will be deployed. The national programmes are normally drafted following consultations with relevant interests in the state, including non-governmental organisations, as well as with the European Commission, which is responsible for overseeing the administration of the fund generally.

Subject to approval for the opt-in, my Department will, over the coming months, lead the development of a national programme for Ireland for the 2021 to 2027 AMIF. The new national programme will cover the main areas of the fund: asylum, legal migration, integration, resettlement, countering irregular migration, returns and solidarity measures. In developing the new national programme, my Department will consult stakeholders in the areas of asylum, migration and integration, including relevant NGOs and Departments, including the Department of Justice, which will continue to manage funded activities in the area of migration and return. Subject to Oireachtas approval of the opt-in, the relevant EU bodies will be informed and work on the national programme can begin.

I commend the motion to the House.

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