I will start by acknowledging the Minister and her officials for the event that took place in Dublin Castle today. It showcased the best of every facet of Irishness, our identity and how we had evolved since we joined the EU all those years ago. It was a day when I was proud to be Irish and proud to be European. It shows our strong affinity with Europe and how we have evolved over the past 50 years. I am very much proud to be a member of Fine Gael and of the EPP, one of the leading parties in Europe, but one of the things that we should try to look at as part of this Presidency is ensuring that future generations recognise what it means to be part of Europe. One of the key parts of that is engaging at community level with our schools and communities. I met the Belgian ambassador, H.E. Mr. Nicolas Nihon, today. My county is paired or twinned with Belgium and we have ambitious plans to bring the European message to every corner of the county. There is a lot of work being done in relation to the likes of the Blue Star programme in primary schools but I think that this is an opportunity for local authorities to engage and maybe look at a European community day, where, led by local authorities, we could encourage every community to embrace this and get involved. Otherwise, I am concerned that a lot of this will be in Dublin. It will be in Dublin Castle and around the M50. Will it get out into rural communities? Will it be regionally balanced right across the country? We should be looking at initiatives to try to determine how that can be done better. I do not believe that there is any facet of Irish society or the economy that has not benefited from Europe, from students, workers and farmers to families and entrepreneurs. When we look at all of the different initiatives since the turn of the century, we have got a common currency in the euro, a common travel area, interrailing for students, European health insurance cards and Erasmus. Those sorts of change have given Irish students and every element of the Irish people a real sense of opportunity beyond our shores. We are a country of 5 million but when we see what it opens us up to in terms of hundreds of millions of people, it has given us a new outlook, not only on Europe, but on the world. When we see our investment overseas and the employment that we create right across the globe today, it shows how confident we have grown as a country and how we have invested and delivered, not only here at home, but overseas. It is a proud day for me as well when I see the logo of the EU Presidency and its connection to Offaly in that the whirlpool nebula, which was identified in the 1840s through the great telescope at Birr Castle. There is another reason to try to bring this EU Presidency on the road and explore such venues as Birr Castle. I look at some of the funding that comes through the EU and wonder where would we be as a country without it, including most recently the European Structural and Investment Funds, Erasmus and the just transition. We have been critical in one sense of just transition in my own county but at the same time it has provided a foundation or platform to go forward and ensure that we can see the transition from an overdependence on fossil fuels to looking at renewables through a whole different spectrum. That is something that needs to be reflected, not only in my county, but nationally. The LEADER programme is a scheme that came about as a result of Europe and I would hope that there will be a commitment, through this Presidency, to ensuring that it is protected and maintained. It makes a significant difference to rural communities. I look at some of the challenges that we face in terms of small businesses and their investment. LEADER has been a significant player in giving businesses in small rural areas an opportunity to diversify, expand and bring new economic activity to areas. When I look at the slogan of the EU Presidency, "Ní neart go cur le chéile", I think back to a former leader of our own party, Garret FitzGerald, who regularly referred to how membership would protect our national sovereignty through the sharing of sovereignty with other EU states. Now that we are a leading net contributor to Europe, it is something we need to be conscious of to ensure we do not take it for granted that opportunities for funding are no longer there. That is where EU funding officers, potentially through local authorities or regional assemblies, should be explored by Government and looked on as a potential way of ensuring we keep communities alive in order that we see that continual economic and social progression. In respect of the three pillars we are looking at in our own objectives - competitiveness, values and security - these are fundamental and something we live by daily. We have seen the cost of doing business in Ireland and the challenges around it, but we have to stay innovative and connected to that Single Market, and we have to advocate for entrepreneurship. If we can do that, we will be competitive and we will continue to see businesses flourish. From a values perspective, we can all be confident in the democratic system upheld in Europe today. We see how transparent the recent elections in Hungary have been, but also here at home. Going into a count centre and observing how our elections unfold through the counting of ballots, this is not something we should ever take for granted. It is a significant part of where we are at as a society and country. Sometimes in this Chamber, defence is something we take for granted on several different levels. Like it or not, there is a threat to the European border of our Union and we need to stand by our fellow member states and the likes of Ukraine to ensure we are united together. A strong message was sent from a European perspective today, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance as well as António Costa. However, we cannot take it for granted and we need to invest in it and support the Union as a whole. I heard some of the debate earlier about a decision between drones and homes. We have to protect our country and ensure we have the necessary and adequate defence while also investing in our future infrastructure. We need to ensure that as we continue to work with member states as a Union, we also have our own independence. From a defence perspective, we need to ensure we continue to see that investment and not necessarily have to rely on our neighbours. The same applies to energy. We have had some difficult debates over the past couple of weeks in this House with regard to gas reserves and the strategic need for security, with others proposing we just rely on our neighbours. What happens if there is a challenge with our neighbours? We need to have that independence and security, and we need to ensure we pass on over time to the people and to businesses that affordability in the cost of energy, while also reducing our emissions in fossil fuels. Overall, this is a very proud day, and it was a real honour to have been present. I wish the Minister and Government well, and I look forward to seeing how the next six months unfold. I am sure it will be through a very positive lens.

Sentiment score: 0.39