I welcome the opportunity to speak today. Well done to the team involved on a very successful launch in Dublin Castle today. I genuinely wish the Government all the best in the EU Presidency. I know it is a big undertaking. However, I also urge it to listen to what is being said today from the Opposition benches. I believe there are a lot of insights that could be well used by Government during these coming six months. Being a proud European means being an active voice, and we in the Social Democrats are proud Europeans. However, that pride is not based on blind loyalty. It is based on a commitment to the values that are supposed to form the bedrock of the European Union - peace, social justice, solidarity and human rights. We are an influential voice within a group of 27 nations and we need to stand by those values when others seek to turn their backs on them. As António Costa said earlier today, Ireland is not just at the heart of Europe, but a decisive actor. When we refuse to call out the abandoning of those values and when we view constructive and valid criticism of EU actions as taboo, we feed anti-EU sentiment and the erosion of our democracies, here and abroad. Ní mhothaíonn formhór na ndaoine nasctha leis an méid a tharlaíonn sa Bhruiséil. People in this country do not see Ireland meaningfully defending environmental regulation at EU level. They do not see Ireland fighting for better digital protections at EU level. They do not see their Government defending their rights. Instead, the State approach to this EU Presidency seems to be about prioritising deregulation and collapsing social cohesion spending, while building war machines across our Continent with taxpayer money. We cannot and should not sacrifice Europe’s social values in the name of competitiveness and simplification. These buzzwords will not deliver the positive change our citizens need. The multi-annual financial framework has expanded both cohesion and competitiveness funding to include military spending and defence industry support, respectively. This will have the effect of benefiting our most developed member states, which are home to the arms factories where this funding will be funnelled. This is all while small businesses operating outside the military space will find it harder and harder to access supports. We in the Social Democrats argue that our best defence against interference and propaganda from foreign powers is a strong and socially cohesive Union of democracies. Courage means leading the way. It means not allowing inaction in the face of genocide and aggression. So many people in Ireland feel let down by the refusal of the EU to act on Israel's genocide in Gaza. They are angry that in the face of blatant violations of the human rights clauses of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, we have seen no action. I welcome that we took decisive action against Russia for its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. We need those values to be upheld consistently, no matter the perpetrator. We need companies and people who support and fund wars of aggression and genocide sanctioned and held accountable. The words of our treaties, the promises made to our citizens and international law mean nothing if we do not see those things enforced. In the words of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking earlier today in Dublin Castle, "it's so important to keep promises". These are not optional extras. They are not a gift or an act of charity. These are our legal and moral obligation to act, and Europe has utterly failed in that legal and moral obligation towards the people of Palestine, instead continuing to be complicit in occupation and genocide. The refusal from this Government to ban services in the occupied territories Bill was blamed on Europe. Now is the chance to lead. If the Minister means what she said about pushing for action at EU level, we need to see that urgently and completely. We need a Europe that is based on decency and shared humanity and Ireland now has a responsibility to champion that. Instead of dealing with refugees as human beings, the European Union plans to pour billions of euro into our own version of ICE. The Commission has proposed to spend nearly €12 billion on Frontex in the next multi-annual financial framework. We know Fortress Europe policies push people into the arms of traffickers, push people into boats in the Mediterranean and push people to their deaths by drowning, while Europe then tries to imprison people doing search and rescue in EU waters, like our own Seán Binder. This is coming at a time when MEPs are being refused access to see conditions in migrant centres run by EU member states in third countries, like in Albania, where six people have attempted suicide since mid-May. These practices, where lives are being destroyed and people are being treated as disposable, and attitudes we are allowing to take hold and grow exponentially across Europe have a real impact. The migration pact, championed by Fine Gael's party colleagues in the European People's Party, EPP, was also welcomed by the far right of the same chamber with chants of "Send them back", a chilling moment for our European Parliament. When we refuse to stand up unashamedly for decency and for the humanity of every single person on our shores, this is the Europe we create. We in the Social Democrats believe we can create a better Europe, but only if those in power stand up for a better Europe, a decent Europe. Ireland must lead that fight during this EU Presidency.

Sentiment score: 0.14