Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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145. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the issues discussed at the recent European Union Foreign Affairs Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21216/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I attended the most recent Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels on 18 May.

At the Council, Foreign Ministers addressed the Middle East Peace Process. This was the first meeting of EU Foreign Ministers since the formation of the Israeli government, and in the run up to the meeting I had urged High Representative (HR) Mogherini to include the Peace Process on the Council agenda. The exchange of views was frank, and Ministers will return to the issue next month for more substantive discussions. For my part, in the exchange of views that took place, I emphasised that the EU has the capacity to make a positive difference and, further, that we have a responsibility to act. The Peace Process itself is at a standstill. We know that events on the ground are rapidly closing the window on a possible two-state solution. We must act to defend that solution which is the core of our policy on the Middle East Peace Process and the only path that will provide peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. I look forward to continuing discussions on the Peace Process next month - at which time HR Mogherini and newly-appointed EU Special Representative for the Peace Process, Fernando Gentilini, will report back to Ministers on their visit to the region, which took place last week. Foreign Ministers briefly addressed the crisis on the ground in Burundi, where Conclusions were adopted condemning the violence, and re-iterating support for the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Saïd Djinnit. Concern was also expressed about the crisis in Macedonia. It was agreed to monitor the situation closely, and to discuss the matter again at the Council in the near future.

The Council also met in joint session with Foreign and Defence Ministers, where initally, in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, we had an exchange of views on the security situation in the EU’s broader neighbourhood.

The Council – EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers only – then proceeded to discuss preparations for the European Council in June, where Heads of State and Government will discuss the Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Ministers adopted a comprehensive set of conclusions on CSDP which will feed into that discussion. Key areas covered by the conclusions include enhancing the effectiveness, visibility and impact of CSDP in contributing to international peace and security; enhancing the development of capabilities required for that purpose and improving the capacity of European industry to provide those capabilities. The conclusions highlight the fact that the EU and its Member States, through CSDP and other policy instruments, have a strong role to play in preventing and managing conflicts and addressing their causes.

HR Mogherini then outlined to us her thinking on a new European Foreign Policy and Security Strategy. An assessment of the changed global environment will be prepared by HR Mogherini for consideration by Heads of State and Government when they meet next month. It is expected that work will then commence on drafting a new European Foreign Policy and Security Strategy in consultation with the Member States - Ireland will participate fully in this process. Indeed, having recently concluded a review of our own national foreign policy strategy, I believe it is timely that a similar exercise is conducted at EU level.

Discussions then turned to follow up to the Special Meeting of the European Council on 23 April, attended by the Taoiseach, which addressed the migration crisis in the Mediterranean. The FAC adopted a Decision to establish a European Union operation in the Southern Central Mediterranean to disrupt the smuggler networks that drive this criminal trade in human misery and exploit vulnerable people for profit. The Mission will be called EUNAVFOR MED and will implement its mandate in several phases. In discussions to date Ireland has insisted that the EUNAVFOR MED operation should be carried out in full accordance with international law. The establishment of this operation is one strand of the comprehensive approach being pursued by the EU to tackle the root causes of the human emergency and to prevent the loss of more lives at sea which also includes continued provision of development assistance to build capacity in source countries and performance of search and rescue tasks as necessary. This follows on from the commitment made by Heads of State and Government to use all of the tools at the EU’s disposal for this purpose.