IrelandrespondspositivelytoEUcallforActiononMigration

Fitzgerald
MinisterFitzgeraldannouncesplanstoresettleadditional300
vulnerablepeopleinresponsetoEuropeanCommissionproposalson
Migration
th
13
May,2015

FrancesFitzgeraldT.D.,MinisterforJusticeandEquality,haswelcomedthepublicationbythe
EuropeanCommissionoftheEuropeanAgendaonMigration.Thenewdocumentwillformthe
basisfordiscussionsatEUleveloverthecomingweeks.

MinisterFitzgeraldstated:
Ihavepreviouslyexpressedmyhorrorandoutrageatthetragicloss
oflifeintheMediterraneanSea.Ihavealsoconsistentlysaidthatthehumanitariancrisis
unfoldingintheMediterraneanwasanEUissuethatrequiresacoordinatedEUresponseand
thatIrelandwillplayitspart.

TheEUAgendaonMigrationpublishedtodayincludesspecificproposalsontheresettlementof
migrantsinEuropeunderwhichIrelandisexpectedtoreceive272peoplebytheendof2016.

RespondingtotheCommissionproposals,MinisterFitzgeraldreferredtoIrelandsproudrecord
onresettlementwhereithasworkedcloselywiththeUNHCRtosuccessfullyresettle1,200
vulnerablepersonsfrom27countriesoforiginsincetheprogrammecommencedin2000.The
MinisterexplainedthatIrelandhasalreadycommittedtoresettling220people,mainlySyrian,in
2015/16.

OnthespecificCommissionproposals,theMinistersaidthattheproposalsarecomprehensive
coveringanumberofissuesandwillrequiredetailedanalysisbeforetheyarediscussedbythe
EuropeanCouncilinJune.However,theMinistersaidthatshewantedtounderscoreIrelands
ongoingcommitmenttoplayingourpartinrespondingtothecrisisintheMediterraneanandin
relationtothespecificCommissionproposalsonresettlement.

TheMinisterstated
:

"IwanttosayclearlythatIrelandiscommittedtocontributingtothe
resettlementeffortatEuropeanleveltothegreatestextentpossible.Ratherthanwaitinguntilthe
CommissionsproposalsarediscussedformallybyHomeAffairsMinistersinJune,Iwantto
indicatethatitismyintentiontoseekearlyGovernmentapprovaltoresettleanadditional300
vulnerablepeopleasourcontributiontothisEuropeaninitiative."

TheMinisterconcludedbysayingthatthiscommitmentonresettlementshouldbeseenaspartof
thewiderGovernmentresponsetothecrisisintheMediterranean,includingsendinganaval
vesseltheLEEithnetotheregiontoengageinsearchandrescue..