39 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the Turkish application for membership of the EU having particular regard to the human rights situation there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25522/99]

Turkey's application for EU membership was tabled in 1987. In its recent report the commission proposes that the time may now be right for the EU to formally endorse this candidature. Ireland broadly supports the position put forward by the Commission. However, no formal negotiations will begin with Turkey until that country fulfils the requirements of the Copenhagen criteria.

40 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the prospects of Switzerland joining the EU early in the new millennium. [25480/99]

The matter of whether Switzerland should become a member of the European Union is in the first instance one for the Swiss Government and people, whose decision to date has been not to pursue membership of the Union. Should the position in this regard change in the coming years, the Union would, I am confident, be ready to discuss the conditions which would govern Swiss accession. In the meantime, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any possible timetable.

The European Union recently negotiated seven sectoral agreements with Switzerland and these were signed in Luxembourg on 21 June 1999, in the margins of the meeting of the General Affairs Council. The agreements cover the free movement of persons, air transport, rail and road transport, public procurement, scientific and technological co-operation, agriculture and mutual recognition in relation to conformity assessment. The last mentioned is intended to eliminate technical barriers to trade. Each of the agreements is free standing but forms a package to be applied in parallel for an initial period of seven years. In the event that any of the agreements were not extended or were rejected by either party, all seven agreements would fall automatically, unless the other party could accept a re-balanced package.

Of the seven agreements signed, six fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union, while the seventh, the agreement on the free movement of persons, is a mixed competence agreement, which means that the individual member states of the EU, must also become parties to it. This agreement was also signed, subject to ratification, on behalf of Ireland on 21 June 1999. The relevant Government Departments are now reviewing the agreement to see if our domestic legislation and administrative arrangements need to be changed before the State could formally ratify it. As it is expected that the agreement could involve a charge on public funds, the approval of Dáil Éireann will be required for ratification in accordance with article 29.5.2º of the Constitution. The appropriate motion will be put before the Dáil when the review mentioned has been completed.