Council of the European Union Decision: Motions Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-29 ============================================================ Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South As the Acting Chairperson indicated in her introductory remarks, I am here to move two motions seeking the approval of Seanad Éireann for Ireland to opt in under Article 3 of Protocol 1 to two European Union Council decisions. The Acting Chairperson has expressly stated what they are already, so I will not repeat them. Generally, they relate to readmission agreements between the Republic of Nigeria and the European Union. The two Council decisions are distinct. The first decision is the signing of the agreement between those two entities, while the second is the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As Senators will be well aware, in order for any migration management system to function efficiently and effectively, it must have an effective and credible policy on returns, including readmissions. Readmission is a core part of the returns process at both national and EU level, forming an essential element of the migration and asylum pact and its efforts to enhance communication and co-operation with third countries. Readmission agreements are intrinsically linked to this objective and constitute an important aspect of the external dimension of migration policy. They play a valuable role in the fight against irregular and unlawful migration by facilitating the admission to their own country of persons residing without authorisation in a member state. They facilitate and expedite the enforcement of return decisions in respect of irregular migrants and may also function as an incentive for countries of origin or transit to enhance their migration control. Ireland is currently party to 12 EU-level readmission agreements, including with Hong Kong, the Macau special administrative region, the Republic of Albania, Sri Lanka, Russia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Pakistan and Georgia. In 2025 Ireland adopted a decision for the EU to enter into negotiations on a readmission agreement with Kazakhstan, which I understand will be forthcoming. Ireland and the Federal Republic of Nigeria signed a bilateral agreement in August 2001 to establish a formal framework for readmissions and related migration matters. While the agreement was never formally ratified by Nigeria, the Nigerian authorities have previously demonstrated good co-operation on the readmission of their citizens. Nigeria remains a priority country for Ireland in relation to migration co-operation but there is scope for greater consistency and this readmission agreement will support Ireland's efforts in driving increased, improved and sustained co-operation. Nigeria, as Senators may be aware, is in the top five countries whose nationals applied for asylum in Ireland to date in 2026. I should point out that, already during my term as Minister, I have managed to send a flight back to Nigeria with Nigerian citizens who were unlawfully in Ireland. I acknowledge the co-operation we received from the Nigerian Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Ireland for giving effect to this. I commend them and thank them for it. The aim of this readmission agreement is to establish rapid and effective procedures for the return and readmission of Nigerian nationals from EU member states and of EU nationals from Nigeria when they no longer have the legal right to be there. The core objectives of the agreement are to strengthen co-operation, combat unlawful migration, combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and facilitate the safe, orderly and efficient return of people who are not legally entitled to be resident in countries. It sets out clear legal obligations on the parties to accept the return of their own nationals as well as timelines for the issuance of travel documents and-or biometric temporary passports. It also sets out how nationality should be established and the mode of transfers. The agreement will be valid for a period of five years and renewable by mutual agreement of the parties. It does not preclude any further agreement being entered into by member states with Nigeria. In order to facilitate the implementation of the agreement, there is also the possibility for Nigeria and individual member states to conclude bilateral implementing protocols. The readmission agreement affirms that it will be applied in such a way as to ensure respect for human rights and for the obligations and responsibilities of the EU, its member states and Nigeria under international law. These are measures under Title V on freedom, security and justice and, therefore, they are covered by Protocol 21. It is appropriate that Ireland should exercise its option to opt in under Article 3 to these Council decisions as they are of benefit to Ireland. Opting into these proposals is also consistent with our declared commitment to participate in Title V measures wherever possible. I note that these Council decisions and the related agreements will need to be formally adopted before they come into effect, which will probably be in November. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-29