Minister McEntee attends meeting of EU Home Affairs Ministers (JHA) Council in Brussels

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD represented Ireland at a meeting of EU Home Affairs Ministers held in Brussels today (4 March 2024).

Topics considered by the Ministers at the meeting included lessons learned on combatting drug trafficking and organised crime, an evaluation of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation (Frontex) and regulations that aim to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

Speaking on the latter topic, Minister McEntee stated:

“Ireland supports the need to take robust action to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. It is vital that legislation in this area applies to all forms of child sexual abuse, including grooming, and that it applies to all kinds of online service, including those which employ end-to-end encryption.”

While attending the meeting of Home Affairs Ministers, Minister McEntee also had bilateral meetings with the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson; the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek; and the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor.

Speaking on these meetings, the Minister said:

“Ireland welcomes the political agreement reached by Member States on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact measures and has actively contributed to the negotiations of the measures. The challenges posed by irregular migration require a European response and the Pact will enable greater burden-sharing across the EU.

Ireland is not automatically bound by the measures but work is ongoing to seek a Government decision to opt-in as soon as possible so that we can work with other Member States and the EU on implementation and operationalisation of the Pact.

This work must begin at pace as implementing the Pact will involve significant policy, legislative and institutional reform. However, we will have the benefit of creating a more comprehensive approach to the shared challenge of migration and this undoubtedly marks a significant improvement on the current protection system.”

A lunchtime discussion followed on the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the implications of the situation in the Middle East for the EU’s internal security.

Speaking on these matters, the Minister said:

“The Russian war against Ukraine has also brought instability and insecurity not only to the eastern part of Europe, but to the whole continent. While the situation has had obvious consequences for refugee flows and patterns of displacement in Europe, we have seen too the internal security implications of the war for the EU and its direct neighbourhood.”

On the Middle East Conflict, the Minister stated:

“Thus far the implications of the situation in the Middle East for Ireland’s security situation have been limited. The most important means by which we can lessen the implications of the war in Gaza for European security is to use our influence to press for an immediate ceasefire, for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

I am particularly concerned about the situation in Rafah. More than 1.5 million people are sheltering there, facing desperate conditions. A military escalation now poses serious risks of death and destruction. We must do everything in our power to prevent this.”

ENDS