Human Rights
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-19
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Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West

I can assure the Senator that the Good Friday Agreement was a very hard-fought and hard-won agreement across the island of Ireland almost 30 years ago. The Senator spoke about an assessment, and when it comes to any international agreement or anything that would undermine or challenge it, all of Government and the entire island is very mindful to ensure nothing undermines the Good Friday Agreement. The commitment from this Government and many previous Governments is that we will not undermine it. It is crucially important to maintain that.
In regard to the substantive issue of the adoption of the political declaration addressing migration, we consider that there is a need for such discussion to take place at the Council of Europe. The view is widely shared by member states. In this regard we believe that discussions on these matters can usefully be guided by the input of experts on human rights, law and migration policy who can contribute to ensuring the continued protection of human rights across Europe. We are ensuring the appropriate legal expertise is drawn upon as the discussions progress. We are also continuing to take all necessary steps to ensure the integrity of our international protection process is maintained at all times. As I explained earlier, we remain completely committed to maintaining and upholding the convention, including on the island of Ireland, where it is the cornerstone of the Good Friday Agreement, and respecting the vital work of the court in its efforts to uphold fundamental rights and protection across Europe.
There are a number of other issues I will get clarity on and I will ask the Department to respond directly to the Senator.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-19