Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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41. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the persecution of Christians has been raised at the EU Foreign Affairs Council; the efforts made to address this at EU level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21232/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are. We are committed to promoting freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as the rights of persons belonging to religious minorities. This commitment to promoting freedom of religion and belief is reaffirmed in the Global Island: Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World.

Within the EU, Ireland works with partners to address the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. The EU's policy in this area is led by the Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief, which were adopted during our Presidency in 2013. The EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2015-2019 also includes an express reference to the promotion of freedom of religion or belief.

The EU's engagement and actions to promote and protect human rights across the globe is summarised in the EU's Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2018 which was adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council at its meeting on 13 May. It found that freedom of religion or belief continued to be under attack throughout the world in 2018 and that therefore the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief remained a key priority in the EU's external human rights policy.

During 2018, the EU consistently raised concerns about violations of freedom of religion and belief in the course of political dialogues with partner countries, including during more than 20 human rights dialogues and consultations. The EU continued to be a strong advocate for Freedom of Religion or Belief in UN Multilateral fora, including at the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly as well as in other international organisations including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe.

Finally the EU is providing financial support of over €5m in the period 2018-2022 to three interfaith projects in the Middle East and Africa which aim to enhance cultural pluralism and intercultural understanding related to religion or belief. It has also increased its support to civil society projects on freedom of religion or belief under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights up to €5.18m.