Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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801. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will detail the recent engagement his Department has had with the EU regarding migration in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47612/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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As advised in my response to Parliamentary Question 2108 on 25 July 2025, my Department and I engage extensively with EU counterparts on migration issues across a wide range of working groups and other formats, including meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, the most recent meeting of which took place in Copenhagen in July.

Migration is a shared European challenge that requires shared European solutions. A particular focus in recent years has been intensive work with our European colleagues to carefully negotiate the EU Migration and Asylum Pact which Ireland opted in to in June 2024.

The Pact will significantly reform the approach to migration and asylum both in Ireland and across the EU by providing a faster, more streamlined, and fairer system for addressing the challenges faced in this area.

The Pact will harmonise asylum procedures and processes across the EU and comes into effect in June 2026. Ireland, has been working closely with fellow Member States, to implement the necessary changes to our systems and our legislation.

At the most recent meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers my counterparts and I discussed effective mechanisms to return those with no lawful permission to remain in the EU.

While the number of people who have been removed from Ireland has increased this year, the rate of return across the EU is well below an acceptable level.

Improving this includes agreeing a strong EU legislative measure but also taking a European wide approach to improving cooperation with third countries to ensure they accept their own nationals back and provide travel documents where required. Discussions also considered how we can jointly encourage greater levels of voluntary returns for those with no permission to stay in the EU.

Tackling irregular migration, including by removing the incentives for undertaking perilous journeys, ensuring that the EU’s asylum systems are not abused, and securing effective returns, is something that can only be effectively done at a European level.

The new Returns Regulation to establish a Common European System for Returns proposes swifter, simpler and more effective return procedures across the EU while fully respecting fundamental rights. This new legal framework is a complementary measure to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact that Ireland opted into last year, which will introduce a more comprehensive, streamlined, and efficient approach to asylum and migration in Ireland and the EU.

The next meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council is scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 October. It is expected that a range of migration-focused issues will be discussed at this meeting, including the proposal to establish a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the EU.