Press release
Minister McEntee attends meeting of EU Home Affairs Ministers (JHA Council) in Brussels
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Minister for Justice Helen McEntee represented Ireland at a meeting of Home Affairs Ministers held in Brussels today (28 September 2023).
Ministers had an extensive discussion in relation to all elements of the external dimension of migration and encouraged the European Commission to continue its vital work in this area.
Ministers also received a Progress Report from the Spanish Presidency on the work to advance the Asylum and Migration Pact.
Items for discussion included a proposal for a one year extension of the application of the Temporary Protection Directive in light of the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
Speaking on this topic, the Minister said:
“Reaching political approval today on the extension of the application of the Temporary Protection Directive until March 2025 is an important demonstration of continued solidarity and support for Ukraine. Innocent civilians, including children, and vulnerable persons continue to be displaced from their homes as a direct result of ongoing Russian aggression.
“In Ireland, a substantial whole-of-government humanitarian response has been put in place, from a national to a local level, to support people from Ukraine who have sought temporary protection here.”
EU Home Affairs Ministers also used the meeting as an opportunity to hold a Working Lunch with Ministers participating in the Latin American Committee on Internal Security (CLASI).
The Committee is a platform for dialogue and regional cooperation composed of 12 Latin American States enabling the exchange of best practices and the pooling of resources in order to fight cross-border organised crime more effectively.
While attending the meeting of HA Ministers, Minister McEntee also had a bilateral meeting with the Colombian Minister of National Defence, Iván Velásquez Gómez.
Speaking on cooperation with Latin America in the fight against organised crime, the Minister said:
“We have seen, including just this week, the success An Garda Síochána have achieved in building international alliances to tackle the organised crime gangs who operate across borders and continents.
“We in Government will always support them in this work, whether it is through record investment or through the establishment of a network of Garda Liaison Officers around the world.
“We need to collaborate as governments, and ensure our agencies and State organisations also co-operate and co-ordinate to tackle transnational organised crime effectively.
“To allow for a more permanent model of political cooperation between our two regions, high-level political dialogue, alongside regular meetings, is necessary to implement the declaration and monitor its progress.”