2335. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the initial projected implementation cost of the EU Migration Pact between 2026 and 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57796/26]

As the Deputy will be aware, the International Protection Act 2026 entered into effect on 12 June 2026 and gives effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.

Estimated expenditure associated with implementation of the Pact in 2026 is €19.3 million, comprising €4.44 million in pay costs and €14.86 million in non-pay costs.

Expenditure requirements for 2027 and subsequent years have not been fixed and will be determined annually through the Estimates process. Future costs will depend on a range of factors, including application volumes, operational demands across the international protection system and ongoing implementation requirements.

In advance of the Pact coming into effect, significant investment was made in the international protection system. This included additional staffing, digitisation initiatives and process re-engineering measures which have substantially increased processing capacity.

The objective of these investments is to support a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum system, including faster processing of applications and increased operational efficiency. In the medium to long term, these improvements are expected to reduce the amount of time applicants spend within the system and thereby help contain accommodation and other associated costs.

These costs are being partly offset through EU funding: Ireland has also secured significant European Union funding to support implementation of the Pact. Approximately €21.5 million has been allocated under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) Thematic Facility Specific Action, and a further approximately €8.9 million is expected to become available following the AMIF mid-term review.

Separately from implementation and operational expenditure, Ireland – along with all Member States - is also required under the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation to participate in the annual solidarity mechanism, either accepting relocations of asylum applicants from other Member States or pledge contributions to the Annual Solidarity Pool according to their fair share, based on 50% share of population and 50% share of GDP.

In the first Annual Migration Management Cycle, Ireland was deemed ‘At Risk of Migratory Pressure’ and will have priority access to an EU Migration Support Toolbox. As part of this cycle, Ireland will not be accepting relocations of asylum applicants due to pressures on our current system. Ireland will make an expected payment of up to €9.26 million in 2027 as a support to countries under the most extreme pressure.