Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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40. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on progress made in regard to the access process for Montenegro during the Irish EU Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36186/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I refer the Deputy to the comprehensive report Results of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union which was laid before this House on 2 July, 2013, and which covers the achievements of the Presidency for Montenegro and all other countries in the accession and pre-accession process.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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41. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on progress made regarding the EU's neighbourhood policy during the Irish Presidency, specifically regarding Armenia, Georgia and Moldova; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36187/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I refer the Deputy to the comprehensive report Results of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union which was laid before this House on 2 July, 2013, and which covers the achievements of the Presidency.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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42. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on progress made during the Irish Presidency on ensuring the EU speaks with one voice to strengthen its role in international organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36188/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Lisbon Treaty which entered into force on 1 December 2009 restructured the working methods of the EU at a multilateral level in terms of co-ordination and representation. In particular, it called for EU Member States to co-ordinate their actions when participating in international organisations. This responsibility now rests with the European External Action Service, under the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who seeks to coordinate member State positions on all issues, including EU statements, draft resolutions presented by third countries, and EU positions on its own initiatives.

Since the adoption of Resolution A/65/276 in May 2011, the EU has gainedenhanced , upgrading the status of the European Union's participation in the United Nations, and allowing EU representatives to present common positions of the Union to the Assembly. This development has significantly increased the EU's profile in international organisations. During its Presidency, Ireland worked closely with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the EEAS to promote greater effectiveness and coherence in EU external policies, including at the UN and in other international organisations. This included helping to ensure that the EU spoke with one voice in international negotiations, including at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, and at the negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty in New York in March. During its Presidency, Ireland also took up its seat on the UN Human Rights Council, and worked closely with the EU delegation in co-ordinating EU positions on key human rights issues.

With our EU partners, we remain committed to ensuring that the EU speaks with one voice with a view to strengthening its international role and profile.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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43. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on progress made during the Irish EU Presidency on supporting crisis management operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36189/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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During Ireland's Presidency of the EU, our main objective in the area of the Common Security and Defence Policy was to support the European External Action Service and the High Representative in their work in responding to crises as they arose. Two new CSDP Missions were launched during the first half of 2013: the European Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) and the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya).

EUTM Mali was launched in February for the purpose of supporting the training and reorganisation of the Malian Armed Forces. Eight members of the Defence Forces have been deployed to EUTM Mali. EUBAM Libya was launched in May to support the Libyan authorities in improving and developing the security of Libya's borders. In addition to the ten individuals already deployed with EU civilian CSDP Missions, Ireland deployed three further people to EU CSDP Missions in the first half of 2013. The Missions involved were in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan), Georgia (EUMM Georgia) and the regional maritime training mission in the Horn of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (EUCAP Nestor).

We also sought to support the work of the High Representative in preparing for the European Council discussion on defence issues in December by hosting a series of informal meetings at Ministerial and official level. We cooperated with the European Parliament and the European External Action Service in the organisation of a conference on the role of the EU as peacemaker and mediator. A seminar on cooperation between e regional organisations and the UN in the areas of crisis management, peace support and peace enforcement operations was organised under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Defence. These meetings allowed member States to exchange views on how to strengthen CSDP and how to improve the availability of the required military capabilities for international crisis management. I hope that the outcome of these discussions will assist the High Representative in developing proposals and actions on which she is due to report in September.

Work undertaken during our Presidency on developing a new set of Crisis Management Procedures aimed at streamlining the process of planning and deploying CSDP Missions in the future is close to finalisation. In the area of EU-UN cooperation, good progress was made on the Plan of Action aimed at enhancing EU CSDP support to UN peacekeeping. In January, a contract to establish a warehouse capable of delivering warehoused assets at short notice to CSDP Missions was signed.