I attended a meeting of the European Council on 18 December in Brussels. Substantial items for discussion included Ukraine; the EU’s next multi-annual financial framework, MFF; the situation in the Middle East; EU enlargement; and Europe’s competitiveness in a changing global context. Other items on the agenda were European security and defence; migration; the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia; the Pact for the Mediterranean; disinformation; and a proposal for a regional strategy for the Atlantic. I will deal with Ukraine; the MFF; Middle East; enlargement; global competitiveness; and the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia. The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, will later speak to other issues. Support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's ongoing illegal war of aggression was the main item in our discussions. After almost four years of brutal Russian aggression and as US-led peace efforts continue, it is more important than ever that the European Union continues and strengthens its support for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy briefed us on the current situation in Ukraine, both on the battlefield and in Russia's escalating strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure. I joined my colleagues in reconfirming our commitment to providing comprehensive financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people. To this end, we discussed how the European Union will actively participate in peace efforts and our readiness to contribute to robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. These guarantees are being advanced through the coalition of the willing, of which Ireland is a member, and in co-operation with the United States. The coalition met on 11 December, when I attended, and on 6 January, when the Minister, Deputy McEntee, attended on my behalf. In the meantime, Russia's aggression against Ukraine continues to intensify, with large-scale drone and missile attacks on cities continuing to result in widespread destruction and the death of civilians, including children. This is not the behaviour of a country interested in peace. To ensure Ukraine can meet its needs and remain strong in its negotiating position, at our meeting in October the European Council agreed to help Ukraine to meet its financing needs in 2026 and 2027. At our December meeting, we agreed a loan of €90 billion to ensure it has timely and predictable finance over the coming two years. This will be provided through enhanced co-operation, in which Ireland will participate. The money will be borrowed by the Commission, backed by the European Union budget. European Union leaders were in agreement that Russia should be held accountable for its actions and should have to pay for the destruction it has caused. I welcome the unprecedented decision to ensure that Russia’s sovereign assets should remain immobilised until it ceases its war and compensates Ukraine for the damage it has caused. Work will continue on the technical and legal dimensions of establishing a reparations loan based on the cash balances associated with Russia’s immobilised assets. In line with our commitment to ensuring full accountability for Russia’s war crimes, the European Council called for sustained efforts to operationalise the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine within the framework of the Council of Europe. Leaders agreed that it is important to maintain pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire and engage meaningfully in peace negotiations. Ireland has consistently supported robust targeted sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. Following agreement at the end of October on a 19th package of sanctions, the European Council called for work to continue on a 20th package of sanctions, with the aim of adopting it as soon as possible after its presentation in early 2026. The European Council called for further action to counter Russia’s shadow fleet, which will further squeeze Russian energy revenues and will address the other significant risks, including environmental, that the shadow fleet poses. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s European Union perspective, and I continue to advocate at European level for accelerated progress on Ukraine’s European Union accession. Ukraine belongs in the European Union, and its membership will not only provide security for Ukraine but will also bolster Europe’s security. I therefore welcome that the European Council reaffirmed its steadfast support for Ukraine’s path towards European Union membership and welcomed the significant progress Ukraine has achieved so far under the most challenging circumstances. The December European Council had a first exchange of views on the post-2027 multi-annual financial framework on foot of the proposals presented by the European Commission in July. Our discussion was informed by the draft negotiating box developed over recent months by the Danish Presidency of the Council, which sets out the core issues that will ultimately require political decisions. The proposals on the table involve major changes to the European Union budget in terms of structure, spending and revenue, and we are studying them in detail. There are likely to be difficult negotiations ahead given the competing demands and financing needs across a range of policy areas. Ireland has been clear that strongly funded and ring-fenced common agricultural and fisheries policies remain a priority for us. The Government’s priorities also include an ambitious Horizon Europe research programme that prioritises excellence, development of cross-border infrastructure, maintenance of humanitarian and development aid and continuation of the PEACEPLUS programme. The Government considers that the new MFF must continue to promote and protect the values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity enshrined in the European Union treaties. We have made clear our view that contributions based on each member state’s gross national income, GNI, remain the fairest and simplest way to provide the European Union with the resources it needs. Overall, we wish to ensure that the next MFF brings the EU added value. It is only by working together with our EU partners that we can make progress on the big issues. I have made clear to President Costa that I fully support his objective of reaching political agreement in the European Council by the end of this year during Ireland’s Presidency. The European Council assessed the situation in Gaza as implementation of the comprehensive plan continues. The ceasefire remains fragile and the humanitarian situation continues to be very difficult. We welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 on the establishment of the Board of Peace and of a temporary international stabilisation force. We called on all parties to implement the resolution in its entirety and in line with relevant international political and legal principles. The Council reiterated the European Union's commitment to contributing to this implementation, including through an enhanced mandate for the European Union border assistance mission for the Rafah crossing point and the European Union police mission for the Palestinian territories. We said we stand ready to support the establishment of the Board of Peace and will actively engage with partners on the next steps. The Council reaffirmed the European Union's strong commitment to international law and to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. For my part, I stressed the need for the European Union to do all we can to alleviate the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza. Despite commitments given in the comprehensive plan, the level of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza remains nowhere near enough and this is very worrying as people, particularly children, are still suffering enormously. The Council condemned the massive increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians and underlined the importance of de-escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We emphasised the importance of stability in Lebanon and Syria to allow them to recover from conflict and highlighted the importance of UNIFIL to Lebanon. We insisted that all parties - Israel and Hezbollah - must abide by the terms of UN SCR 1701 and condemned attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers. Having visited the Irish contingent in UNIFIL in December, I observed for myself the excellent job it is doing in very challenging circumstances. Leaders also held a strategic discussion on the geo-economic situation and its implications for the European Union's competitiveness. Informed by the Letta and Draghi reports, the European Council set important orientations last year on re-establishing a much stronger political focus on economic competitiveness, dynamism and productivity growth. This included the immediate priorities of simplifying regulation, lowering energy costs and strengthening the link between private savings and investment. Unlocking the full potential of the Single Market is also vitally important. Leaders will return to competitiveness issues at an informal meeting of the European Council dedicated to the topic in Belgium on 12 February. Our goal should be nothing less than making Europe the best place in the world to start and grow a business, including through a completely modernised digital environment and significantly strengthened research and innovation systems. This will be the foundation for future prosperity that must underpin our shared values and wider political objectives. Prior to the December European Council, I joined fellow EU leaders and the leaders of five countries in the western Balkans for the European Union-Western Balkans Summit. This annual meeting is a welcome opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the European Union membership perspective of the countries of the western Balkans and investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity in our neighbourhood. At the European Council, leaders held a strategic discussion on how to advance enlargement, calling on candidate and potential candidate countries to continue implementing the necessary reforms to align with European Union law. The European Union of the future will be larger and, therefore, we also need to undertake internal reforms to ensure that we can remain effective as a union of more member states. The Commission has already undertaken considerable work in that regard and is expected to share its policy reviews with member states in the course of 2026. Ireland has long been a strong advocate for enlargement and making progress will be a priority of our Presidency in the second half of this year. I believe we can close all negotiating chapters with Montenegro by the end of our Presidency and make significant progress in the accession negotiations with Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. As the House is aware, antisemitism is a growing scourge around the world. It must be stamped out wherever it arises. The European Council reflected on the evil gun attack targeting Sydney's Jewish community gathered on Bondi Beach to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah and we condemned all forms of antisemitism and hate, intolerance, racism and xenophobia. I look forward to the forthcoming European Union anti-racism strategy, due to be published shortly. Leaders will return to many of these issues to assess progress and discuss further actions at the next formal meeting of the European Council in March. Before concluding, I am sure the House will join with me in expressing full support for Denmark and our solidarity with the people of Greenland. The future of Greenland is a matter to be determined by Denmark and by Greenlandic people in line with well-established democratic principles and international law. Ireland has consistently underlined that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Charter and must be respected in all circumstances. The meeting of the European Council in December was another crucial one. I am sure that there are many more to come as we grapple with the challenges of a very uncertain world and seek to protect and advance our values, security and prosperity. I look forward to continuing our discussions in this House on this very important agenda for Ireland, especially as we take up the responsibility of the European Union Presidency on 1 July.

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