Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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255. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of all financial contributions Ireland has made to the instrument for pre-accession assistance fund; if he will address concerns that Turkey has received almost €1 billion from the EU to support rule of law, civil society, fundamental rights, democracy and governance despite reports of over 50,000 arrests, 100,000 detentions, 138,000 job sackings and close to 2,100 schools being shut down since July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29916/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Funding for the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) is allocated by the European Union from its overall budget to which each Member State contributes according to Gross National Income. Ireland’s contribution to IPA therefore comes from our overall contribution to the EU, rather than a specific monetary allocation.

The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) supports countries that are candidates or potential candidates for EU membership. The support goes towards measures aiming at adopting and implementing the political, institutional, legal, administrative, social and economic reforms required to comply with the Union’s values and to align progressively with the Union’s rules, standards, policies and practices.

Ireland, along other EU Member States, agrees that Turkey’s accession process should not be suspended. This does not diminish in any way our concerns regarding the negative developments on human rights, rule of law, freedom of expression including media freedom, and democracy in Turkey, particularly since the attempted coup last July, or our concerns regarding the implementation of the referendum passed on 16 April. Quite the contrary. We have consistently raised these concerns, including about the scale of dismissals and detentions of public servants, academics and journalists at every appropriate opportunity, and will continue to do so. I am particularly concerned about the arrest of Mr. Taner Kiliç, Chair of Amnesty International, Turkey on 6 June, and call on the Turkish authorities to ensure that full due process, including the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial is respected.

Ireland believes that the lines of communication with Turkey must be kept open, bearing in mind the long-term future of all of the citizens of Turkey. In that context, the EU will continue to work with Turkey to encourage a return to European values.