Minister of State Niall Collins attends meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers
- Foilsithe: 5 Márta 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 12 Aibreán 2025
Niall Collins, Minister of State for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice, today attended a meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers from all EU member states.
Ministers discussed a range of migration and security issues, including the protection of undersea cable networks from attack, combatting serious and organised crime and the internal security issues arising from the evolving situations in Syria and Ukraine.
Minister Collins also met with Ministerial representatives from 12 Latin American Countries to discuss ways to further cooperation in fighting drug trafficking, trafficking in arms and trafficking in human beings.
Welcoming the publication by the European Commission of a new EU Action plan on cable security, Minister Collins noted the particular importance of bolstering the resilience of this critical infrastructure for Ireland:
“As an island Member State, Ireland relies on global connectivity for almost every part of our economy and society. We are particularly vulnerable to any threat to our connectivity to the Global Internet backbone and we are very supportive of this new Commission communication focused on bolstering the resilience of this critical infrastructure. We know speed is of the essence when responding to an incident on submarine telecoms cables, and specialised repair crews are in limited global supply. That is why we particularly welcome the focus on repair and recovery, to help protect and support our subsea cable networks, including those that are vital to Ireland’s connectivity to the EU and beyond.”
Ministers were also presented with an update on progress made in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime and agreed a range of areas on which efforts should be focused. Speaking on this issue, Minister Collins said:
“At EU level, it is vital that we maintain a strong focus on the challenges and risks posed by drug trafficking and organised crime, and that we continue to further our efforts to counter its impact across the Union. This is a priority for the Irish Government, one that is reflected in the increased budget allocated to An Garda Síochána in recent years, and today’s discussions show that it clearly remains a top priority for our EU partners too.”
When discussing Syria and Ukraine, Ministers focused on how the EU can prepare for, and respond to, any internal security concerns arising from the evolving situations in both countries.
Noting how complex and volatile the situation on the ground remains in both Syria and Ukraine, Minister Collins stressed the need for EU level networks to function coherently to monitor any threats and to mitigate against them. Such threats include the potential movement of foreign terrorist fighters, potential resurgence of extremist groups and the potential for illicit trade in firearms and ammunition.
Minister Collins discussed a deeper partnership in relation to combatting drugs trafficking, trafficking in arms and human trafficking with Ministers from 12 Latin American Countries. Speaking in relation to those discussions, Minister Collins said:
“Having an internationally coordinated approach to combatting the most threatening criminal networks is crucial and we should continue to build on the good partnership we have with a number of Latin American countries. We will develop this cooperation by strengthening our financial intelligence sharing, leveraging digital tools for financial crime detection, enhancing joint investigation and operational cooperation and enhancing the security procedures of our transport hubs. Serious and organised crime know no borders, and the only way to stop the devastation that those who engage in such activities cause, is to continue to work effectively with our international partners.”
Also on the agenda for the Council Meeting was the implementation of migration and asylum reforms, border security and returns.