Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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157. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the specific criteria such as relevant academic qualifications, election-related professional experience which his Department uses in the selection of current members of the roster of international election observers; the way this roster compares with international best practice of standard-setting bodies for example UN, EU, OSCE, IFES; if he will describe the scoring system used to select an observer for a specific mission; and if he will confirm that those selected have had the most relevant academic qualifications or professional experience to observe that particular international election. [31336/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Following a comprehensive review of the election observation roster in 2013, a call for applications was issued by the Department in January 2013, and the Information Note for Applicants which was published on the Department’s website set out the four criteria through which applicants would be appraised. They were: Language skills; Experience of election observation; Knowledge of human rights and / or governance issues; and Experience of living in challenging environments. Following the appraisal process, a new roster comprising of 200 individuals with a strong mix of skills and experience came into effect on 15th May 2013.

For each election observation mission, the EU or OSCE set out their specific requirements and, on the basis of expressions of interest from roster members, the Department draws up a list of applicants. In selecting nominees to be put forward, the specific criteria set by the EU or OSCE, including relevant local and regional experience, language proficiency, gender and length of time since serving on a mission, provide the main basis for decision-making. In many cases, the EU and OSCE also invite Member States to nominate new observers or observers with limited experience and this is also factored into the nomination process. Following consideration of the applicants, a draft list of nominees is submitted for Ministerial approval.

In the case of EU election missions, the final selection of observers from the list of approved nominees submitted by the Department rests with the European Commission. In the case of OSCE election missions, all the observers nominated by the Department are usually selected. Overall, Irish nominees have a high success rate and by the end of 2016, a total of more than 60 observers will have participated in Election Observation Missions, compared to 46 in 2015.

Ireland participates actively in the European Commission and European External Action Service-led Election Observation network, which brings together election observation Focal Points from all 28 EU Member States, together with Canada, Switzerland and Norway. The network facilitates exchange of information and best practice on all aspects of election observation monitoring, and helps to ensure that we are acting in accordance with that best practice.

I am confident that the Irish nominees who have a strong mix of skills and experience, are of the necessary standard to participate in international election observation missions.