Government must work with EU to get stranded Irish citizens home, Andrews says

Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has said the government must work with the European Union to bring 20,000 stranded Irish citizens home from the Middle East.

“With over 20,000 Irish citizens stuck in the Middle East, many of whom wish urgently to leave and many worried families at home, the government must coordinate with the EU countries and prepare activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism designed for international evacuations,” Andrews said.

“The situation in the region is clearly worsening and so there is no time to lose. As soon as the airports reopen, thousands of families want to see their loved ones brought home to Ireland.”

The Fianna Fáil MEP noted “the EU has a mechanism to mobilise the much-needed evacuation resources such as airplanes, consular assistance and evacuation support teams.”

“I welcome the recent additions to Ireland’s evacuation capability, with the purchase of new airplanes such as the new Dassault Falcon. However, given the scale of the current crisis, we will continue to rely largely on our European allies to help evacuate Irish citizens from the Middle East.”