Written Answer Nos 37-44
37. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the reported position of the French Government, in relation to the reform of the European External Action Service that consular divisions should be created in EEAS delegations; and if this was discussed at the informal meeting of the EU’s Foreign Ministers in Dublin on 22 and 23 of March. [15514/13]
View answerAt the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers which I co-hosted with High Representative Ashton in Dublin on 22-23 March, a range of issues were discussed in relation to the current Review of the European External Action Service. Some member States have suggested that the Service might take on a greater role in relation to consular assistance. Ireland believes that the EEAS has the potential to significantly improve EU effectiveness and coherence across a range of areas. Much progress has already been made during its first two years of operation. The network of EU delegations has a particular role to play in this regard, not least in terms of sharing of information and analysis. This represents an important resource, particularly for a smaller member State such as Ireland.
As consular protection (assistance) to citizens is a member State competence, the EEAS does not have the legal power to take on such a role. In addition, the EEAS currently has neither the capacity nor the expertise to take on a direct role in this area. EU delegations and other mechanisms, such as Civil Protection, can and should play an important role in assisting with the coordination of the EU’s response to crisis situations.
In the context of the current Review, Ireland believes that the focus should be on consolidating capacity in areas for which the EEAS already has responsibility and improving coordination mechanisms. We look forward to hearing the proposals of the High Representative in due course.
38. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the next North-South Ministerial Council will be held and the issues that are on the agenda. [15605/13]
View answerI take it that the Deputy is referring to the next Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council which will take place in Dublin in July 2013. The agenda for this meeting has still to be agreed with the Northern Ireland administration but I expect that the meeting will include discussions on a number of relevant issues such as the current economic situation on the island and potential opportunities to cooperate. I also expect that there will be a discussion on the outcome of the Irish Presidency of the EU and a review of the efforts we have made to involve our Northern Ireland colleagues in the work of the Presidency. In addition, I anticipate there will be a discussion on the St Andrews Agreement Review and a report by the Joint Secretaries of the North South Ministerial Council on work undertaken in the twelve areas of cooperation in the preceding six months.
39. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the services his Department offers Irish citizens and their families who are victims of crime abroad; if these services have been reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15595/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware my Department through our Embassies and Consulates abroad provides consular assistance to Irish citizens who encounter difficulties, including victims of crime. These services are coordinated by the Department’s Consular Division based in Dublin. The assistance offered is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case. The range of assistance provided includes issue travel documents, information about transferring funds, contacting family or friends, assisting with language and interpretation difficulties and also providing lists of local lawyers, doctors and translators. The Department also operates an out of hours Emergency Duty Officer service 365 days a year to assist Irish citizens in difficulty abroad.
My Department also provides comprehensive up to date travel advice and information for victims of crime on its website www.dfa.ie. However, this assistance is not a substitute for the purchase of private and comprehensive medical and travel insurance which we at all times recommend to citizens who are travelling abroad.
I wish to assure the Deputy that this Department regularly reviews the information provided in consultation with our Embassies and Consulates.
40. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the recent talks in Bahrain between the monarchy and the opposition; his views on the possibility of imprisoned opposition and human rights persons being freed; and if this possibility has been discussed at EU level. [15530/13]
View answerI very much welcome the fact that there has been some progress recently in relation to political dialogue in Bahrain, with the main opposition parties agreeing to meet with the Bahraini Government within a process of national dialogue which recommenced last month. It is important that all sides engage constructively in this dialogue with a view to furthering reconciliation and reform within Bahrain.
At the same time, I remain very concerned about the overall political and human rights situation in Bahrain. I have repeatedly called on the Bahraini Government to demonstrate its commitment to upholding human rights and to implement in full the recommendations of the Bahraini International Commission of Inquiry. The Commission’s recommendations set out the way forward in terms of political dialogue, human rights, respect for the rule of law and refraining from excessive violence. The Bahraini authorities must ensure, in particular, that fundamental rights in relation to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association are fully respected.
I have made clear in this House on a number of occasions my view that that the Bahraini Government should consider exercising clemency and releasing imprisoned activists and human rights defenders, such as Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab, as well as in the case of the imprisoned medical professionals. This would serve the wider interests of promoting the reconciliation which is urgently needed reconciliation within Bahrain.
Since the onset of unrest in 2011, High Representative Ashton and senior EU officials have regularly conveyed to the Bahraini authorities the EU’s concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain. I fully support the High Representative’s readiness to provide, if requested, EU support for the resumed national dialogue process.
I have ensured that Ireland’s concerns on human rights issues in Bahrain have been conveyed regularly to the Bahraini authorities and I will continue to do so. Officials in my Department make clear our concerns to the Bahraini Ambassador in London; and Ireland’s Ambassador in Riyadh, who is accredited to Bahrain, has raised these issues directly with the authorities there on every appropriate occasion, including most recently with the Foreign Minister while the Ambassador was in Bahrain over the St. Patrick’s Day period.
41. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his EU colleagues have made efforts to mobilise worldwide opinion with a view to bringing about an end to the hostilities in Syria, with particular reference to the urgent need for the protection of civilians, the provision of international aid, the setting up of bodies such as international courts of inquiry into human rights violations and genocide; if the EU has made overtures to the UN in this regard; if all of the major players in the international community are positively focused on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15505/13]
View answerSyria has been the major issue discussed at the last two EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings in February and March, each of which I attended, as well as at the informal Ministerial meeting which I co-hosted with High Representative Ashton in Dublin on 22-23 March. The focus at these meetings was on the most appropriate steps which the EU can take in support of the ongoing efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict and to mitigate the worsening humanitarian situation.
Ireland and its EU partners have made clear that the EU strongly supports all efforts to bring about a peaceful and negotiated solution to the violence in Syria, notably those currently being undertaken by the UN/Arab League Joint Special Representative, Lakhdar Brahimi.
We also devoted considerable attention to reviewing the current EU sanctions which apply against Syria. At the 18 February Foreign Affairs Council, we agreed to renew the full range of existing sanctions for a further period of three months, until 1 June.
Accountability remains very important, in the context of the many war crimes and human rights violations that have been committed by all sides during the conflict. Ireland has been to the fore within the EU in supporting calls for the situation in Syria to be referred by the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court. In January we joined 57 other UN members in co-signing a letter sent by Switzerland to the President of the UN Security Council which called for referral to the ICC. I also issued a joint statement on the same subject with my Austrian, Danish and Slovenian counterparts the same month.
As a new member of the UN Human Rights Council, we have been active during the Council’s most recent session in building support for a strong resolution on the current human rights situation in Syria. This resolution, which calls for referral to the appropriate international criminal justice mechanism in the case of gross human rights violations, was overwhelmingly adopted by the Council on 22 March.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, leaving millions of Syrians, in and outside the country, in need of the most essential supplies and commodities. Ireland and its EU partners have considerably stepped up their contribution to the UN-led humanitarian relief operations; overall EU assistance, both from the Commission and member States, amounts to date to approximately €600 million while Ireland’s overall aid to Syria over the past year amounts to €7.1 million.
The conflict in Syria will remain a major priority for Ireland at all levels of our international engagement. We will certainly use whatever influence we have in our current EU Presidency role to support and promote European and UN efforts and initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
43. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the proposal by the Dutch government to ask retail chains in the Netherlands to state the origin of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights; and if he will consider following the Dutch Government’s example. [15532/13]
View answerThe Netherlands Government recently issued a clarification notice on product labelling. This was to the effect that, for products where place of origin is indicated, it would be misleading consumers to label products made in settlements as being ’Made in Israel’, as the settlements are not in Israel. Likewise, it would be misleading to label them as ‘Product of the West Bank’, as this might suggest that they were Palestinian produce.
This guidance was based on EU consumer protection rules and is thus a clarification of an already existing position. The UK and Denmark have previously issued voluntary guidelines along the same lines. In Ireland, my Department has for some years carried a similar set of informal guidelines on its website, for the voluntary use of Irish retailers and wholesalers.
I welcome this latest move by the Netherlands authorities. I agree that many consumers will wish to be able to distinguish settlement goods. At my direction, my Department has been considering the possibilities of further action on similar lines, whether domestically or at EU level. Action across the EU would obviously be preferable, and we have been engaged for some months in discussions with like-minded partners, and with the External Action Service and the European Commission, about possible steps. These discussions are continuing and will be assisted by a recent positive letter on the subject which High Representative Ashton has addressed to all EU Foreign Ministers. I have this week written back to her, together with a number of my fellow Foreign Ministers, to encourage the adoption of EU guidelines on labelling.
