Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2015
174. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community remains totally united in efforts to curtail the activities of ISIS-al-Qaeda and their associates; the extent to which particular jurisdictions harbour or assist such persons carrying out atrocities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3245/15]
View answerI participated in the discussions on Counter-Terrorism at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels on 19 January, following the brutal murders in France and the violence in Belgium.
Together with my colleagues, we re-affirmed the EU’s commitment to preventing and combating terrorism and discussed how our collective efforts, within the EU and in partnership with third countries and organisations in the Middle East and elsewhere, could be strengthened.
Recognising that the increasingly complex nature of the terrorist threat requires complementary internal and external strategies, our discussion focused in particular on how foreign policy initiatives can complement action being taken by Justice Ministers.
At EU level, the need for the European Parliament to expedite approval of the Directive on Passenger Name Records was emphasised. Foreign Ministers agreed to enhance the EU's activities outside of Europe, including through improving our communication efforts, and to place experts in key EU embassies to work on counter terrorism. The EU will henceforth focus its efforts on a small number of key countries and on working with regional groupings, including the League of Arab States and the Islamic Conference. It was also acknowledged that greater EU engagement in resolving crises in the Middle East and arising from the spread of Boko Haram in Africa could contribute to the Counter Terrorism effort.
It was also agreed that an overview of the EU Counter Terrorism and Foreign Fighters Strategy for Syria and Iraq would be published. This strategy had been approved by the FAC in October 2014.
In the course of our discussions I highlighted Ireland’s support for a comprehensive, human rights compliant approach to countering terrorism. An effective approach requires actions such as tackling root causes, outreach to vulnerable communities, promoting a counter narrative, while at the same time necessarily strengthening legal and security measures.
These measures at EU level are consistent with the approach set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) which 104 States, including Ireland, co-sponsored last September in New York.
