Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Very good. I again acknowledge the Deputies and all the work they have done in their well-informed contributions. To again address the issue of the Middle East, the European response has unfortunately not been as unified as we hoped. As I pointed out, there is urgency in finding common ground on which to engage with our global partners. It is clear that the majority of member states are demanding an immediate ceasefire, while all member states are calling for the immediate release of hostages and the alleviation of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We must use our collective wit to ensure that there is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scaling up of humanitarian access and supplies to get vital aid to civilians.

Turning to enlargement, at its meeting in December the European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia. It also signalled that it would open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with membership criteria has been met. There were also historic decisions based on the Commission's recommendations. These were the right decisions in light of the geopolitical circumstances and the need to keep candidate countries on a clear EU path. The Commission will provide further a report in March, which it is hoped will facilitate additional steps. Ireland has long supported a merit-based enlargement process and the Commission's 2023 enlargement package highlighted the work that is going on across candidate countries to ready themselves for EU membership. Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia continue to be the countries most prepared for EU membership, although the rate of progress and reforms in 2023 was greatest in Ukraine, Moldova and Albania.

It is vital that candidate countries seize the current momentum on enlargement by making rapid and meaningful progress on accession reforms. It is also important that aspiring members of the EU fully align with its common foreign and security policy, especially when it comes to the EU response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. This is very important to demonstrate these countries' commitment to EU values. This was the message the Taoiseach emphasised with his partners during his recent visit to Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Montenegro is deservedly the front-runner among candidate countries, and the priority its new government is placing on advancing EU reforms is notable. The new growth plan for the western Balkans, which the Commission has also presented as part of the 2023 enlargement package, is a good demonstration of the EU's commitment to the western Balkans region and an important tool to harmonise economic incentives right across candidate countries. In exchange, candidate countries are expected to deliver meaningful and irreversible reforms. Demonstrating that the EU is serious about enlargement, it is equally important that it is spurring on candidate countries to accelerate reforms.

The EU and its member states need to be clear in our approach and our messaging about the preparations we are making for an enlarged union. That is an important conversation which will be taken forward in the period ahead. The vast majority of citizens across our countries aspire to join our union and they look to Ireland in particular, as it is a small member state that has been transformed by the benefits of European Union membership.

The war in Ukraine and wider global instability have led to a renewed focus at EU level on issues relating to security and defence. At the December meeting of the European Council, we reviewed progress in a number of areas, in particular around procurement and related efforts to replenish member state stocks in light of the support provided to Ukraine. The European Council has also discussed EU progress on tackling new and emerging threats, notably in countering cyber and hybrid threats and addressing foreign information manipulation and interference. The areas of focus, which the European Council conclusions reflect, include our need to work together with EU partners and at national level to deal with the security threats we face. As ever, any steps taken at EU level will be fully respectful of the specific charters and security and defence policies of member states, such as Ireland.

Leaders restated their commitment to: pursuing a comprehensive approach to migration, which includes mutually beneficial comprehensive partnerships with countries of origin and transit; addressing the root causes of migration; providing opportunities for legal migration; more effective protection of our external borders; and resolutely fighting organised crime, human trafficking and smuggling. Leaders strongly condemned all hybrid attacks, including the instrumentalisation of migrants by third countries for political purposes, stating that the EU would not accept the ongoing hybrid attacks on its external borders launched by Russia and Belarus. On the internal dimension of migration, member states and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the new pact on migration and asylum that will provide for clear-cut rules to receive and relocate asylum seekers. Migration is a regular discussion point at European Council meetings. Leaders will return to the matter at the next meeting.

I again thank Deputies for their participation. I look forward to future debates in the House.

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