Qualified.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I can say in the most general way that the Irish Government is fully aware of the situation in Sudan and has been vocal about it for some time. Members opposite have raised this from time to time as well. Significant funding has been given by the Government for humanitarian purposes in Sudan this year, and probably last year. The matter is on the agenda tomorrow at the Foreign Affairs Council. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, will be present. It was on the agenda at the previous Foreign Affairs Council, which I do not attend. The Minister can give an update following the discussion. The Taoiseach is going to the EU–African Union Summit, which I believe is next Monday, and will undoubtedly bring forward a very strong Irish position that is consistent with what he has said as Taoiseach and as foreign Minister previously.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I will just speak generally. There are various issues concerning that conflict that I am not working on directly, so I do not have the detail. However, the Minister will raise all concerns at the Foreign Affairs Council. I am sure our ambassadors are also doing so at UN level. The Tánaiste was at the previous Foreign Affairs Council, where the matter was on the agenda. It is on the agenda again tomorrow. These issues are generally dealt with at the Council, and sometimes, of course, at the European Council itself. The EU is fully seized of this, and the Irish Government has been very consistent on it, including through speaking out and financial support.
Sentiment score: 0.05
We have been strongly pushing for those types of sanctions. As the Deputy knows, we have been seen as one of the strongest at EU level. We have sought for some time the suspension of the trade agreement, which President von der Leyen proposed, and sanctions on violent settlers. These proposals and all the others put forward require Council decisions. Some, such as that to suspend the trade agreement, require a qualified majority, while others require unanimity. Other member states have considered or taken measures themselves in this space. We are at the forefront of the discussions and debates.
Sentiment score: 0.11
I have discussed this in the past couple of weeks with the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan. Work is ongoing in the Department of Justice on travel bans for certain individuals. That is happening at national level. We are also pushing at EU level. It is more relevant to the Schengen zone but we can proceed nationally. That is a matter that the Minister for justice is working on.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I have been saying for some months that the EU has leverage and should use it. We call for the measures President von der Leyen put forward in September and certainly support them. We do not believe they should be taken off the table while illegal occupations and annexations continue. There is an embryonic peace process that we want to support to bring genuine peace to the people of Palestine and Israel.
Sentiment score: 0.24
We want to keep these measures on the table. Some other member states do also. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy wants to keep them on the table too. They require more than our support, however. The EU–Israel association agreement is an agreement between the EU and Israel and I do not believe there is any possibility for groups of member states to start veering out of it. It would have to be done at EU level. This is exactly what the Taoiseach would have said in the room at the European Council, and it is exactly what we have been saying. I am sure the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade will say it tomorrow. It has been said all along. In fact, I said myself at the General Affairs Council in preparation for the European Council that we must keep these measures on the table. This is Ireland's position. Obviously, when it comes to the EU-Israel association agreement, you need a qualified majority of member states. A Commission proposal is needed first, which we finally achieved. A qualified majority of member states is needed thereafter. We will continue to work on that but the position of Ireland could not be clearer.
Sentiment score: 0.16
The detail of the matters Deputy Healy-Rae brought up are under the Department of justice. There was a discussion on Ukraine at the European Council where President Zelenskyy spoke. European leaders spoke pretty directly to him as well. The war against Ukraine is costing us all a lot of money. We need it to end for our financial and economic security, as well as our own security in general. We want that war to end. The EU must continue to put as much leverage - I again use that word "leverage" - on Russia. There were serious efforts at and around the European Council to put huge pressure on Russia to end this and that work continues. The war is costing Ukrainians their lives and homes. The destruction there is absolutely unbelievable. There are quite a number of Members who have visited Ukraine. I have visited myself. It is absolutely frightening. I would like to think that if it happened to us, we would have the same help from other member states. That is what solidarity is about. It was necessary to do that at the time. We want this to end because it is costing a lot of money. There is no question about that. Let us end it and save lives.
Sentiment score: 0.03
I just do not accept that we are asking anyone to gut the AI Act or GDPR. The whole simplification agenda is designed to cut red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy that are costing companies a lot of money and, quite frankly, jobs in all of our constituencies. At the same time, however, it will protect basic rights that we and the European Union have fought hard for and developed, such as the areas of workers’ rights, data privacy, equality and environmental protections. These areas are absolutely central to what the European Union is about. The simplification agenda is not in contradiction to that. What European leaders agreed to at the European Council is that "... the EU will continue to foster human-centric technological solutions that protect individuals and their data, and safeguard digital accountability, transparency and societal resilience. The European Council stresses the importance of protecting minors ...". This is what the European Union and the leaders agreed to do. That is what will happen through the simplification process. We do not want unnecessary red tape on companies. That is what the prime ministers, the Taoiseach and all of them agreed on. What the Deputy is saying is not a reflection of what the prime ministers agreed at the European Council.
Sentiment score: 0.09
First, Ireland is one of the champions of overseas development aid.
Sentiment score: 0.53
We are known for that around the world. I am very proud of it. It is a consistent policy of my party to be as generous as possible because we know it is necessary in many of these countries. I am very proud of the work that our Department does, working with both Irish and local people on the ground in foreign countries. The very issues Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised will be on the agenda of the G20 in South Africa, where Ireland is a guest this year, and at the EU-African Union summit. The position of Ireland, as the Deputy knows, is very progressive on this. We want to see these countries allowed to blossom from under the weight of all the various burdens they have, including debt.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I wish to go back to the exact wording of the European Council because it is very important. Paragraph 30, which relates to all of the defence conclusions, states: "The above is without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States, and takes into account the security and defence interests of all Member States, in accordance with the Treaties". That is a specific mention to Irish, Austrian, Cypriot and Maltese neutrality. Member states do feel a threat. If you go to Lithuania, Poland or Finland, you will see cross-party support on all sides of the houses for their own sovereign decisions to pay and invest in their defence to ensure they are secure from the threat of Russia. If the Deputy is criticising Irish taxpayers' money going to the defence industry, the Irish Government will be spending a lot of money on our defence industry and I am glad to see Sinn Féin has seemed to change tack on that today. It seems to now support increased spending on defence from an Irish perspective. It is coming to the Fianna Fáil policy of protecting, but also investing, in neutrality.
Sentiment score: 0.30
We need to go to the defence industry------
Sentiment score: 0.10
-----regarding radar, sonar, equipment and material that we need for our Defence Forces. We absolutely will be spending that money. Our neutrality is well known and well noted but during our Presidency, we will be the independent arbitrator in the Presidency chair for the needs and necessities of all the member states. Defence still remains a member state competency. It is absolutely a member state competency. There are no instructions from the European Union as to what we do. We saw the SAFE mechanism recently, which Ireland certainly facilitated. Ireland did not stop or object to it but Ireland is not taking part in all aspects of it because that is our own sovereign decision. Other countries make their sovereign decisions about these things as well. We, and all member states, value very strongly that our defence policy is our own policy. Some member states want to have more co-operation, whether that is through NATO, which they have chosen to be a member of, whereas we have not, or through the European Union in terms of getting efficiencies and working together to get value for money. What is happening in many eastern European countries is that choices are being made, choices supported by entire parliaments, to spend more on defence and maybe less on social spending. These are really difficult choices but, quite frankly, countries like Finland, Lithuania and Poland feel backed into a corner that they have to do this because of that serious threat from Russia.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I will remind the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Mercosur has been raised and it will continue to be raised. There was a vote in the European Parliament on safeguarding measures yesterday and one at the Council of Ministers today. I met my French counterpart yesterday about a number of issues but, obviously, Mercosur was on the agenda. I met the French foreign minister the week before last. It is quite a topic of discussion. Clearly, France is one of the key countries. People have asked us here to continue to work with like-minded countries, and this is exactly what we have been doing. Our starting point for all these trade agreements is that Ireland is pro-trade. Why is this? It is because we make more products and provide more services. We do not have enough people on the island to buy or consume all those products and services, so we sell them around the world and we create economic benefits for all of us and for all the factories in the various constituencies. There are loads of them around Deputy Ó Laoghaire's constituency, as well as in Dundalk, Waterford, my area and everywhere. Those places are selling products and services all around the world. The fundamental starting point, therefore, is that we support trade because it has led to our economic growth. We must also protect our vital interests. There are obviously serious concerns here in relation to agriculture. These are genuine concerns, and we have been talking and listening to farmers on this issue. We have stated our position in the programme for Government that we have serious concerns, and this has not changed. We are working with member states, and this includes my meeting yesterday with the French Government. The Taoiseach has also been in touch with President Macron on a number of occasions about this matter. We want to fully interrogate the draft agreement and make absolutely sure this legally binding safeguards instrument can work for farmers. We are carefully assessing all of this now to understand if it is dealing with the well-known concerns that Deputies have addressed around the House, particularly around farmers and food.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I will say this. We had all sorts of scare stories before about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement a number of years ago. People went to the High Court and everything else. Trade with Canada has massively increased and more people are employed in all our constituencies because of that trade agreement.
Sentiment score: 0.24
We have dealt with many of the issues that were raised. The October European Council adopted certain conclusions on strengthening and protecting the digital ecosystem, including through reinforced international partnerships and close collaboration with trusted partner countries and international organisations on digital innovation and governance. Leaders stressed the need to address the risks related to hybrid threats and cybersecurity, as well as reducing strategic dependencies. This includes the need to diversify EU sources of critical raw materials, advance the roll-out of connectivity infrastructure, deepen the Single Market for electronic communications and promote the development and deployment of sustainable digital systems. Leaders also stressed the importance of protecting minors in the digital space. The European Council also welcomed the recent Commission initiatives on artificial intelligence, AI, and quantum technology, and it urged a high level of ambition in the forthcoming proposals on the EU cloud and AI development. On migration, there are challenges. This issue is now a standing item on the European Council agenda. Leaders welcomed an update from the Commission President on migration patterns and the actions the Commission is taking in response. Ireland believes Europe must address the shared challenge of unplanned migration through collective effort. We have always supported a predictable and flexible system of responsibility and solidarity regarding the reception and management of protection applications. We know well the major burden that front-line states and, indeed, most member states, have borne in recent years. Ireland has long advocated that this crucial issue needs to be addressed based on strong solidarity and responsibility among member states. The EU migration and asylum pact represents a necessary improvement on the current protection system, as well as a new dawn of burden sharing across the EU. We would like to see sustainable progress on irregular migration, including returns, ideally based on genuine partnerships with countries of origin and transit and a common European asylum system, but one that complies with international law and respect for fundamental rights. The Republic of Moldova was also discussed. That country had a recent parliamentary election and it safeguarded the integrity of its democracy in the face of Russian interference. This Russian interference in Moldova was absolutely off the scale in terms of the amount of money it spent, but it did not succeed. The EU leaders rightly commended Moldova’s achievement. Ireland views the lessons learned in Moldova as vital to countering Russia’s hybrid activity for all of us. Our support for Moldova's EU accession remains solid. As Ireland's EU Presidency approaches, we look forward to further supporting Moldova’s progress on the EU accession path. EU leaders also met in Euro Summit format. They were joined by the president of the European Central Bank, ECB, and the now former president of the Eurogroup, Deputy Paschal Donohoe. I thank him for his leadership as president of the Eurogroup for quite a number of years. He would always come into these meetings. He has hugely enhanced Ireland’s reputation abroad. I wish him every success in his challenges ahead. Exchanges at the Euro Summit focused on the current economic and financial situation. EU leaders welcomed the resilience of the euro area economy despite multiple shocks, as well as price stability. The robustness of the labour market, reflected by record low unemployment, was also welcomed. EU leaders affirmed their unity and commitment to enhancing economic resilience and competitiveness. They invited continued close monitoring by the Eurogroup of economic and fiscal developments in the present geopolitical environment. The Euro Summit also reinforced the political commitment to strengthening the international role of the euro, including its role as a reserve currency and transaction currency, by deepening integration in capital markets and completing the banking union. The Euro Summit also welcomed recent progress on the digital euro and stressed the importance of swiftly finishing legislative work and advancing other preparatory steps. EU leaders look forward to welcoming Bulgaria as the 21st member of the euro from the beginning of 2026. I thank and congratulate the Government of Bulgaria on this important milestone, because it takes a lot to achieve euro membership. I thank everybody here for their participation in the discussion. As we ramp up our preparations for the Presidency, I look forward to our continued discussions on the work of the EU as we work to address the most pressing issues of the time. The Presidency is going to be very interesting. We are going to have a meeting of the European Political Community, which will be the largest meeting of its kind ever to be held in Ireland. There will also be a leaders' summit, 22 ministerial meetings and 250 other meetings in Ireland, as well as many meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg. Ireland will also take charge, or, at least, take responsibility for gathering and presenting the EU's position at international events, such as the COP. There will be four COP summits next year. There might be an International Maritime Organization agreement, a World Health Organization agreement and many others. Ireland will actually be taking the lead in those contexts. A huge amount of work is going to happen, much of which will not be seen by the public. It is a huge opportunity to enhance our reputation as a country and to do a good job from the level of the Taoiseach and Ministers to civil servants and all of us. I should remind colleagues as well that a portal is open now at gov.ie for a public consultation on what Ireland’s priorities should be during our Presidency. I welcome every response we get to that consultation. It is very important we hear from as wide a range of people as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.31