I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 310 together.
The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) manages its election observation mission through a core team of experts, which leads the monitoring and is directly recruited, which can be supplemented by long-term observers (LTOs) and short-term observers (STOs) nominated by OSCE Member States.
Applications to join the core team are managed directly by the OSCE-ODIHR through a recruitment procedure that is open to citizens of OSCE participating states, including Ireland. The Department of Foreign Affairs has no role in this process. Roles as head of electoral missions, or core team members for either the OSCE or the EU are thus entirely separate from the process of nomination by Member States for LTO or STO roles, including the volunteer election observation roster operated by this Department.
I refer the Deputies to the responses to Parliamentary Question Nos. 413 and 425 of 18 May 2021 and the comprehensive response on all matters concerning the election roster Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 24 March 2021 of which reiterated that in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health considerations concerning international travel, Ireland has not nominated volunteer election observers since March 2020.
Participation in EOMs poses particular risks in the context of the public health pandemic due to the requirement of overseas travel, including often through busy airport hubs, compounded by factors such as extensive in-country travel and interactions with observers from a significant number of other countries, potentially exposing to Covid-19 not only election observers but also those with whom they come into contact with in the host country.
Resumption of nominations remains under review in the light of evolving public health considerations, particularly, as regards international travel, and will not include either the Armenian or Moldovan calls received this month.
In the meantime, planning is underway to prepare for resumption of nominations to election missions, including identifying the requirements for volunteers prior to, during and post participation in EOMs based on Ireland’s public health advice and requirements and requirements in destination countries, including on vaccination, testing and quarantining, as well as conditions set out by the EU/OSCE-ODHIR. When nominations resume, those will be from the current international observation roster of individuals who succeeded in the competitive mustering and have been suitably vetted.
