It is great to have an opportunity to speak about the European Council meeting. The message could not be clearer from Europe and Ireland that we are operating in a far more volatile and uncertain world. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are driving our instability, and that instability is driving directly into energy prices and supply chains. People are facing the consequences of that in the form of cost-of-living increases. Energy is right at the centre of that. The Council has acknowledged as much. When fossil fuel prices spike, Europe suffers. We remain far too exposed to forces we cannot control. We have a huge challenge and crisis at the minute, but we have to take this as an opportunity to move from volatility to stability. Ireland cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels and hope for that stability. That is not a strategy; it is a risk. Other speakers have spoken about how this is a risk we can do something about. We are not short of resources. Rather, we and the European Union are short of urgency. I hope this latest crisis will ensure the EU moves faster. I see these opportunities in County Louth every single day. We have wind and water resources as well as the geographic position. We have a skills base. The Minister of State knows the county very well. Crucially, we have the infrastructural potential, particularly in places like Greenore Port. Greenore Port, as the Minister of State knows, has the potential to become the key operations and maintenance port for offshore wind in the Irish Sea. That is not pie in the sky; it is a practicable and deliverable project. It has planning permission. It would support offshore wind deployment, create jobs and anchor long-term economic activity in the region. Potential does not deliver jobs, however; decisions supported by Government and made in this House do. I have huge ambition for this country. We can be a global leader in renewable energy, not just a participant in it. We can harness our natural resources to not only create energy but export it. We have that expertise. In reality, we have been talking about this for far too long. The European Council has set out the direction to accelerate renewables, invest in infrastructure and build the systems that will allow us to reduce dependence on the volatile fossil fuel markets, but Europe needs countries like us to deliver on it. We are not just part of the solution; we can be absolutely central to it. If we do not step up, not only will we fail ourselves but we will also weaken Europe’s overall energy security and competitiveness. If we talk about creating the resilience to move to stability, we know that oil and gas markets are hugely volatile and that geopolitical shocks can trigger sudden price hikes. We also know there will be another oil crisis. It is not a question of if but, rather, whether we will be ready for it and whether we are preparing right now because we are too exposed. This is why we need to move faster. Other speakers have spoken in this regard. We need to ensure we are moving on this. With regard to Deputy Ó Cearúil’s contribution around nuclear energy, it is 40 years away in Ireland if we look to it, but hydrogen energy is not. It is a new technology but it can be a huge part of the solution. We need to derisk that transition. We need to clear the funding pathways and the timelines that industry can work to. We have an incredible strategy from the Department of environment on hydrogen and alternative fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, for heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, and all of these things, but we have to make sure we are working on it. The Minister of State will be leading out on many of our meetings during the European Presidency. Ireland needs to lead on this. Europe needs to lead on this. Energy and renewable energy need to be a key target and aim of the European Presidency.

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