12 Jan 2015, 18:36
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade enjoyed a fruitful exchange of views this evening with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, which covered a range of topics in relation to the role the EU is playing in the wider world.
12 January 2015
Ms Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since November, met a delegation from the Committee in Leinster House. Recent terrorist atrocities; the ongoing conflict in Syria; EU-Russia relations; the situation in the Ukraine; progress in the Middle East Peace Process and the EU's development aid budget were all discussed.
Chairman of the Committee Pat Breen TD says: “On behalf of Committee Members, I wish to thank Ms Mogherini for an open and candid discussion this evening on the EU’s role in the wider world. Given her tight timetable in Dublin, Ms Mogherini’s willingness to meet with the Joint Committee indicates the priority she attaches to national parliaments and parliamentarians in her work.
\"We shared perspectives on the rise of ISIS in Syria, the Ukraine crisis, the Middle East Peace Process and EU's role as the world's largest aid donor. Given the tragic events last week in France, the EU’s approach to combatting global terrorism was also considered. This evening’s meeting was a valuable opportunity for the Committee to feed a range of cross party opinions and perspectives on the Union’s role in the wider world into the highest level of EU foreign policy decision making.”
View photo from this meeting.
ENDS/
Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade
Deputies:
Pat Breen, Fine Gael (Chairman)
Eric Byrne, Labour
Bernard Durkan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
Seán Crowe, Sinn Féin
Olivia Mitchell, Fine Gael
Dan Neville, Fine Gael
Ruairi Quinn, Labour
Brendan Smith, Fianna Fáil
Maureen O’Sullivan, Independent
Senators:
Mark Daly, Fianna Fáil
Lorraine Higgins, Labour
Michael Mullins, Fine Gael
David Norris, Independent
Jim Walsh, Fianna Fáil