Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for taking the time to discuss the Bill with us today, and indeed for initiating the legislation in the Seanad, which we welcome.

I welcome Croatia to the European Union. As other speakers have indicated, it has a great deal to offer. Like this country, Croatia is a remarkable country with a great landscape, heritage and culture. It is no surprise to read that trade between this country and Croatia is already worth approximately €50 million a year, with many Irish people travelling there as tourists. I hope Croatia’s accession to the Union will tempt more Croatians to consider this country for a visit. Croatia’s entry to the Union also highlights the enduring strength of the appeal of the European Union. It is far better to be in the EU than not and even with recent turbulence there is a queue of nations who aspire to be part of the Union, which itself says a great deal.

It is important to point out, as the Minister indicated, that the Bill is technical in nature and is created in order to allow Croatians to access the Irish labour market while not conferring any rights above and beyond the Treaty of Accession to the Republic of Croatia. Any fear that Croatians having access to the Irish labour would lead to a wave of people entering this country is unfounded. There are a number of factors which ensure that it is highly unlikely that anything approaching large numbers of Croatians will migrate to this country. First, Croatians do not tend to migrate and do not have a history of migration. Although there are high unemployment levels, Croatia has a relatively healthy economy with solid inward investment.

The main provisions of the Bill include giving Croatian nationals employment rights equivalent to other EU nationals for the first two years following accession. The Bill ensures the family members of Croatian nationals have the same entitlements as family members of other EU nationals and amends the Employment Permits Act 2003 so that Croatian nationals with equivalent EU rights do not need an employment permit. It is worth noting that only 12 employment permits were issued in 2012 to Croatian nationals, which perhaps gives an indication of the level of inward migration we can expect from Croatia.

I look forward to Croatia's accession on 1 July as the 28th member state of the European Union. Croatia had originally aimed to join the EU in 2007 and, as we all know, the world and the European Union is a different place now from when that process started but the country's appetite has not diminished and its commitment has not wavered. I commend the Bill to the House