Approval of EU Migration Pact 'turning point' for Ireland's immigration system

Vote passed by a margin of 79 votes to 72 in the Dáil last night.

The Dáil’s approval of the EU Migration Pact marks a turning point for the Irish immigration system.

That’s according to MEP Maria Walsh who was speaking in the aftermath of the vote on the matter in the Houses of the Oireachtas last night which passed by a margin of 79 votes to 72.

The Fine Gael MEP for the Midlands North West Constituency was involved in drafting the EU Migration Pact at European level and was one of only just two Irish MEPs sitting on the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) - the Committee responsible for the Pact.

“The issue of migration has been one of the EU’s biggest policy failures to date, which is why Ireland’s adoption of the EU Migration Pact is so important.,” she continued before adding that The EU has a common external border and because of that, a common European migration policy is required.

“Without the Pact, Ireland would be an outlier in Europe. As a small island nation, we cannot afford to go it alone on one of the defining issues of our times. We would be left operating less effective measures, and would see a further increase in applications. By opting into the Pact, our laws on asylum and migration will be fully aligned with the EU for the first time.

“In addition to the savings from a more efficient system, there is also a substantial EU budget of €1bn which we can access to support implementation of the Pact. Further funding will also be available in the next EU budget, which I intend to be closely involved in.

“It was disappointing, but not surprising, to see Sinn Féin oppose the Pact in the Dáil last night. This opposition highlights one of the party’s defining characteristics; a thinly-veiled Eurosceptiscim.”