LAST UPDATE | 5 Oct 2023

TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has suggested that Ireland may opt to give financial contributions to other EU member states to help accommodate asylum seekers rather than volunteering to accept more here under a new migration pact. 

Varadkar said Ireland is not currently in a position to accept more refugees, with the country “really struggling” to accommodate those that are already here. 

He was speaking as he arrived at the two-day European Political Community Summit in Granada, which is being attended by 47 EU and non-EU leaders.

Under the new deal, EU countries that receive large numbers of migrants would be able to ask for assistance from other member states.

These countries could then choose between offering financial aid, taking over responsibility for processing some asylum claims, or accepting some migrants themselves.

Asked about the policy at the summit today, the Taoiseach said: “I think from Ireland’s point of view, it wouldn’t really be so much about taking a quota of refugees.

“We’ve accepted a huge number of people in the last year or two, maybe 100,000 people from Ukraine and other parts of the world, so I think we’re in a different place as a country now, really struggling to accommodate the numbers that we have,” he said.

“You can have the option of accepting refugees who are in other parts of the European Union, so they’re already in a safe place, or you can make a financial contribution.

“But realistically, where we are in Ireland at the moment… I don’t think we’re really in a position to accept more voluntary transfers, not until we get on top of the accommodation situation. I think people understand that.

“That’s not to say that we will turn away people that come to Ireland, of course we won’t do that, but volunteering to take more people is a different thing entirely.”

Leaders at the special summit were also expected to hold talks on further support for Ukraine and the potential enlargement of the EU and the potential cost.

Asked about that, Varadkar said he was a “strong supporter of Ukrainian membership of the European Union”, along with the Western Balkans and Moldova.

“If you look at things in the round, if you take the broader view, the longer-term view, enlargement is always good for Europe. It helps to provide us with security, helps us to embed democracy and human rights, and also helps the European economy to grow in the round,” he said. 

“So, I think it’s really important that when we look at these questions, we don’t see them just as a financial calculation.

“If Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans join the European Union, they’ll become wealthier in due course and just like Ireland, they may yet become contributors to the budget.”

He said it could take 10 to 15 years for Ukraine to formally become an EU member.

“So by then the budget and the CAP will be in a very different place, I think,” he said.

“So I really would hope that we don’t create those kinds of fears.”

Meeting with Sunak

Varadkar also held a “constructive” bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the summit this afternoon.  

It is the second face-to-face meeting between Varadkar and Sunak since he became Taoiseach again last December. 

According to a government source, the two men spoke about their shared priority of restoring the Northern Ireland power-sharing institutions.

“The Taoiseach and the Prime Minister are fully in agreement on the importance of restoring power sharing for the people of Northern Ireland,” the source said.

They also discussed the UK’s Legacy Act, acknowledging that each side has different views.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Sunak “set out the steps the UK is taking to ensure a return to power-sharing and the two agreed to stay in close contact in the coming weeks”.

“The two leaders also touched on their respective positions on the issue of legacy and agreed that teams should continue to stay in touch,” they said.

It’s understood the Taoiseach also highlighted the significance of bilateral trade between Ireland and the UK, which was valued at €120 billion in 2022.

He also welcomed the recent Memorandums of Understanding with the UK on energy, and the UK’s access to EU research partnerships in the Horizon programme.

Varadkar and Sunak also discussed the importance of Irish-British bilateral relationships, including the positive indications regarding the Euro 2028 bid, with the Taoiseach telling Sunak that Ireland is happy to assist financially in redeveloping Casement Park in Belfast.

It was all-but-confirmed yesterday that the football tournament would be hosted by Ireland and the UK after the only opposing bidder pulled out. A formal confirmation from UEFA is set to made next week. 

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Varadkar said he hoped to discuss the matter with Sunak.

“I suppose in a more positive space, we’re going to talk about UEFA 2028. Really delighted that the UK and Ireland will be hosting that tournament, I want to talk to him about our willingness to make a funding contribution to Casement Park in Belfast, one of the two stadiums in Ireland that will be used.”

It’s understood the two leaders committed to continue discussions again in the near future. 

Additional reporting from Press Association