Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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138. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland was ever offered to become either a member or observer of the Arctic Council since its inception; if he will consider it to be valuable to Ireland if we were to become a member or observer in view of the small but influential number of nations that are involved in the council; if Ireland is considering taking steps to work with the Arctic Council in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23895/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Arctic is an area of growing international importance and the Arctic Council is the primary forum for international cooperation in the region. The Council is made up of eight Member States: Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States as well as six Permanent Observer States: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom. The Arctic Council does not offer states or organisations Observer Status. Rather, those wishing to secure Observer Status must formally apply to the Council for consideration. To date, Ireland has not applied for Observer Status. When assessing a State’s suitability for Observer Status, issues such as its expertise in areas relevant to the region and its ability to support the work of the Council are key determinants. In this context, the extent to which a State has participated in research programmes in the region is especially important.

The EU has applied for Observer Status of the Arctic Council. The application was considered at a Ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden last week. A decision on the EU’s application has been deferred pending further discussions on bilateral issues between the EU and Canada. We are hopeful that the EU’s application will be successful and we look forward to contributing, through the EU, to greater cooperation in the management of the Arctic region.