Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for their contributions. The other issues that were on the extensive agenda of the European Council meeting on 27 June were the internal reform agenda, Georgia, Moldova, the EU's strategy for the Black Sea region and its response to hybrid threats.

On migration, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, provided leaders with a written update of developments since their previous discussion. This was on asylum and migration. Ireland was of the view that it should be addressed through a collective effort and this was the Government's fundamental guiding principle in asking this House that Ireland opt into the pact on migration. I believe it demonstrates the commitment to ensuring that asylum systems are fair, effective and efficient. It is a necessary improvement on the current protection system.

On Moldova, the European Council welcomed the first holding of the intergovernmental conferences with Moldova, as well as Ukraine and Montenegro. I participated at the Ukraine conference. The formal launch of accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine is recognition of the substantial progress those countries have made in implementing EU-related reforms. Ukraine in particular and other countries, including Moldova, have been demanded that they go through a rigorous process. They do not want to go through anything less than the proper standard that should be applied to them for European accession. That is very welcome.

It is also important that the EU is ready for future enlargement. There is a roadmap setting out future work on internal enlargement and the changes that need to be made. We do need to advance enlargement more broadly with the Balkan states and we look forward to receiving detailed pre-enlargement assessments prepared by the Commission next spring. When we talk about enlargement it must be clear that those aspiring to become member states do live up to the EU's democratic standards. In that regard, I yet again refer to Georgia, its law on transparency on foreign influence in May 2024 and the very negative impact that had in the context of Georgia moving towards European Union membership. Numerous Georgian NGOs have announced their intention not to comply with the law. This is making them vulnerable to penalties. The EU discussed response measures at our meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 June. It is a very serious development. Other worrying legislation has also been pushed through since the re-introduction of the foreign agents' law to parliament, including amendments to the Georgian tax code that would facilitate asset transfers from offshore tax havens. There are credible concerns that tax amendments are a way to head off western sanctions policy. There is a range of different issues of concern, including for the LGBT community. I probably cannot state this more strongly, and we could have an entire debate on this issue alone. To put it plainly, the law is not in line with EU values, it is incompatible with Georgia's EU membership aspirations, and it represents serious democratic backsliding. We condemn the increased intimidation of politicians, civil society activists and journalists in Georgia, as we do in Hungary and as we did in Poland until the newly elected Government came into office there and made efforts to try to reverse some of the decisions made over eight years by the regime that preceded it.

This represents a challenge to the European Union more broadly that we must think about more broadly as we look to enlargement. We place particular standards on countries coming into the European Union, and properly so, but we cannot have a two-tier Europe. Those countries coming in are being held to the rigorous standards we have set in respect of the rule of law and democratic processes.

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