Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the contact he has had through embassies with the countries which joined the European Union during its last Presidency, and thereafter, regarding the economic context these countries are currently facing. [15372/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Our ongoing dialogue with our fellow EU members, including those that joined in 2004, is conducted at a number of levels. I have regular bilateral discussions with my EU Ministerial counterparts as do my colleagues in government. Our Embassies in EU capitals undertake intensive contacts with their host administrations in support of Irish interests and report on relevant developments in those countries. Ireland's Permanent Representation to the European Union also plays a central role in Ireland's engagement with our EU partners. There is also intensive contact between the Member States within the institutions of the Union, especially the Council of Ministers where the Member States work together to arrive at decisions that serve the shared interests of our peoples.

As a result of this intensive engagement within the Union, the Government is fully aware of the serious economic challenges currently facing the Member States, including those that joined during Ireland's EU Presidency in 2004. EU membership has taken on a heightened significance for all Member States in the current climate. It has been a great asset for the Member States to be able to combine their efforts in developing a collective strategy for coping with this unprecedented global economic and financial crisis.

From the start of the crisis in September last, the EU has been actively engaged in efforts to mitigate its effects. In December 2008, the European Council agreed an EU-wide stimulus package valued at €200 billion. This included funding of €5 billion mainly for energy and broadband projects, including an allocation of €110 million for the Ireland-Wales electricity interconnector.

The Spring European Council on 19-20 March 2009 renewed the commitment of Member States to work in a coordinated manner to restore financial stability and growth within the European economy. It noted that the European Economic Recovery Plan now has a fiscal volume of around €400 billion and that this would be a major instrument in stimulating investment, boosting demand and promoting employment to the benefit of all Member States.

The Spring Council also welcomed a proposal from the EU Commission to double the ceiling, to a level of €50 billion, for the Union's support facility for Member States which need balance of payments assistance. This measure is designed to provide support for Member States that joined the Union in 2004, some of which are facing particular economic difficulties on account of the current global crisis.