Dublin ? Ireland’s agreement Wednesday to take two homeless Guantanamo prisoners demonstrates that patient diplomacy between the United States and Europe is starting to play its part in shutting down the notorious U.S. prison.

Daniel Fried, the Obama administration’s special envoy tasked with closing the camp, is back in Europe this week seeking to build on a European Union agreement clearing the way for any member of the 27-nation bloc to accept prisoners who could face persecution in their homelands.

While most European states remain frosty to the idea of taking Guantanamo prisoners off American hands, a growing number of nations — including Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Spain — say they definitely or probably will take at least one of the approximately 50 prisoners.

Ireland is the second EU nation, after France, to make a firm commitment to take particular prisoners. Slovenia is the next stop on Fried’s European tour.