Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Member of the European Parliament · S&D · IE
“Mr President, Minister Byrne, I have a simple question: what do we mean when we say 'respect for human rights'? It is the foundation of our European project and a legal obligation under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”
“Unfortunately, the association agreement and its suspension is at the table as of last September, you remember. During the State of the Union speech, it was put on the table. Unfortunately, I was present at each and every Foreign Affairs Council – the Member States are divided. Not to blame anyone, but just to say there is a problem.”
“Dialogue is the foundation of diplomacy, especially when differences arise.' This is what our HR/VP said. So I'm building on this and leaning on this. All of us know that the situation is dire. The topic is very serious, as I said. Listening to you, I felt like I was a rival in a Foreign Affairs Council.”
“It is the minimum required by our own law and our own values. The Irish Presidency of the EU must lead. End the EU-Israel Association Agreement once and for all! 3-0276-0000 Dubravka Šuica, Member of the Commission.”
“We are trying to find a solution all the time. We are having a dialogue. In parallel, we are really financing the Palestinian Authority. Without us, all of you know that the Palestinian Authority would not have survived. Those people there – teachers, nurses, doctors – we have this package programme, which is EUR 1.6 billion.”
“Madam President, Taoiseach, I want to start by wishing you luck. Má éiríonn leatsa, éireoidh linn ar fad mar Éireannaigh agus mar shaoránaigh Eorpacha. This is a presidency which has to deliver on key issues facing Ireland and Europe. None among them are bigger than housing.”
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Every one of 38 lines we hold for Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“We are trying to find a solution all the time. We are having a dialogue. In parallel, we are really financing the Palestinian Authority. Without us, all of you know that the Palestinian Authority would not have survived. Those people there – teachers, nurses, doctors – we have this package programme, which is EUR 1.6 billion. So without us, they would have collapsed. 3-0277-0000”
“Unfortunately, the association agreement and its suspension is at the table as of last September, you remember. During the State of the Union speech, it was put on the table. Unfortunately, I was present at each and every Foreign Affairs Council – the Member States are divided. Not to blame anyone, but just to say there is a problem. We can speak for decades like this. We can blame each other. We can post our video clips blaming someone. But I say we won't reach a solution if we attack each other. This is not the way how it works. So I really hope that under the Irish Presidency, we will be capable of reaching the unanimity on this. Someone said time to suspend the association agreement. Yes, time is to spend the association agreement, but it's on the table. And, as I told you, turning towards us and toward me was not the right address.”
“Dialogue is the foundation of diplomacy, especially when differences arise.' This is what our HR/VP said. So I'm building on this and leaning on this. All of us know that the situation is dire. The topic is very serious, as I said. Listening to you, I felt like I was a rival in a Foreign Affairs Council. As long as we are divided, we will stay powerless. All of you turn to the Commission, turn to me. I don't want to blame anyone. This is not a black-and-white story; this is not a blame game. But the ball is with the Council. The Member who was speaking last, Mr Ó Ríordáin, really said the right thing. He was the only one who turned towards the Council. I am also looking towards the Council, and I think that during the Irish Presidency, I wish they would be capable of reaching consensus.”
“It is the minimum required by our own law and our own values. The Irish Presidency of the EU must lead. End the EU-Israel Association Agreement once and for all! 3-0276-0000 Dubravka Šuica, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members who are left in this room, I was listening carefully to each of you, and I heard each word which you said during this meeting. Our speaking slots are not enough to elaborate on this very difficult topic. One-minute speeches are not enough to discuss this topic. I have to say that I am here representing High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas. So I will quote her first: 'The European Union and Israel have a lot that binds us together. I value our dialogue and engagement, respectfully and constructively.”
“Mr President, Minister Byrne, I have a simple question: what do we mean when we say 'respect for human rights'? It is the foundation of our European project and a legal obligation under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It doesn't mean the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian children, reducing the city of Gaza to rubble, turning what's left into an open-air prison the world is forbidden to enter. The list of Israel's crimes is endless, but I can name one action we need to take: ending the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Why does the agreement remain? It's worth billions to the Israeli economy. Yet we comfort ourselves by saying we will lead in rebuilding Gaza. But you cannot rebuild a hospital with one hand, while rewarding the war criminals that flattened us with the other. Ending this agreement is not radical.”
“We can house our children, stop our planet from burning, reject hate and racism, back our workers, unite the people of our island and uphold international law. Mar a scríobh Ríordánach eile ó do chontae féin, a Thaoisigh, tráth dá raibh, 'Ba mhaith liom breith ar eireaball spideoige'. Is féidir linn breith ar eireaball na hEorpa, le chéile. 2-0105-0000”
“On Gaza, I want to acknowledge that our government has shown some leadership and again today, in the face of abject failure for many in the EU, we have to use this presidency to end the EU-Israel Association Agreement once and for all. We must stand with Ukraine unequivocally. Taoiseach, the government's position on Aughinish Alumina is indefensible. This week I will vote to progress sanctions so this facility cannot fuel Putin's war. Taoiseach, as you have said, John Hume once said that the EU was the greatest peace process in history. In honour of his legacy, we should be persuaders for the UK to rejoin the EU and for greater unity on our island. John Hume also said that we cannot eat a flag. Our Union has achieved so much. We can meet the challenges of today.”
“Taoiseach, our failure must stop here and the MFF must deliver on housing. Likewise, on workers' rights and climate action, our record is nothing to be proud of. I want to be clear: we will not support any competitiveness agenda that comes on the backs of workers or our environment. Taoiseach, we are a country of céad míle fáilte. We are not a country that chants 'send them back'. It angered me to see your government colleagues voting with that poison in this Chamber last month. Ireland, the country of coffin ships, undocumented in America and memories of 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish' must strive for better.”
“Madam President, Taoiseach, I want to start by wishing you luck. Má éiríonn leatsa, éireoidh linn ar fad mar Éireannaigh agus mar shaoránaigh Eorpacha. This is a presidency which has to deliver on key issues facing Ireland and Europe. None among them are bigger than housing. During this presidency, the Commission will bring forward an Affordable Housing Act because we in the S&D Group demanded it. You failed to mention housing at all in your address in Dublin Castle last week, and made only a passing reference today. The Irish Presidency must lead in making housing an urgent European priority. Two weeks ago I brought my group president to Gardiner Street in Dublin, where 10 % of the entire homeless population of Ireland live. Service providers said schoolchildren are doing their homework on fire escapes.”
“We must end the EU-Israel Association Agreement, because if international law only applies to some, it applies to none. 3-0491-0000”
“Mr President, colleagues, you were warned. We were warned. We were told that if Israel were allowed to commit genocide in Gaza, it would not stop there. Next would be the West Bank, Iran, Lebanon – and today that is what we are witnessing. In Lebanon, entire neighbourhoods have been levelled – 2 500 people killed and almost 8 000 wounded by Israeli bombs. In this House, we rightly say that Ukraine must be defended, because Russia will not stop at Ukraine. It is the same with the Israeli death cult. If Israel faces no consequences, why would it ever stop? Last Thursday, the EPP, Fine Gael's party, vetoed a debate on the new Israeli death penalty for Palestinians only. On Friday, the supposed Christian Democrats met the Pope. Stomach-churning hypocrisy.”
“And it is why it is disgusting yesterday to see Irish MEPs vote to back asylum laws in line with far-right ideology. How quickly some have forgotten. No Irish, no blacks, no dogs. For us we must say no Trump, no ICE, no White House shamrock! 3-0237-0000”
“Madam President, no Irish, no blacks, no dogs. The signs posted in boarding houses in England in the 1950s and 60s. No Irish, no blacks, no dogs. Of all countries, Ireland should understand immigration. We know what it is to be the outsider, the undocumented, the unwelcome. That is why we have an historic responsibility to stand against those who terrorise the immigrants at home and abroad. Trump's armed militia have left two dead in Minneapolis, 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025. Irishman Seamus Culleton has spoken this week about his inhumane detention conditions in Texas. He must be released now. No blacks, no Irish, no dogs. This is why it is unconscionable for a Taoiseach to attend the White House on Saint Patrick's Day. It is why it is repugnant for Irish politicians to fundraise in the United States from racist Republicans.”
“It is time to bury the cartoon Irish-American myth. No to the shamrock ceremony. No to the US military use of Shannon. Yes to European solidarity and to the primacy, Commissioner, of international law. 2-0424-0000”
“Madam President, Commissioner Kallas, we are witnessing the descent of the United States into fascism: a president who rejects election results, incites insurrection, attacks the judiciary and the media, has an armed militia intimidating minorities, who kidnaps foreign leaders and threatens the sovereignty of others. If Trump smells weakness from the EU, it's because when the US or Israel break international law, we look the other way. History has taught all of us that the only thing a bully understands is strength and resolve. That means suspending the EU-US trade agreement, invoking the anti-coercion instrument and standing by what we mean when we say 'never again'. As an Irish MEP, I say this: the Taoiseach cannot engage in national humiliation on Saint Patrick's Day in the White House.”
“As John Hume once said, 'Politics is not only about principles, but about the ability to put principles into practice.' This means imagining a new republic, one that includes a million fellow countrymen and women with very different perspectives on Ireland's past and future. Rome Rule cannot be what happens with Home Rule, and we should only ever be subjects to the best of each other's hopes and aspirations. A forward-looking Ireland can be a home for all, rooted in peace, in respect and in Europe. 3-0318-0000”
“Madam President, after years lost in the fog of Brexit, EU-UK relations are beginning to clear. Step by step, we are rebuilding trust. In a world as fractured as ours, Europe and the UK cannot afford to drift apart. Brexit has shaken the delicate balance that allowed for a shared European identity in Northern Ireland – an identity that softened old divides and underpinned peace. The European birthright identity of Northern Irish citizens must be respected and represented. Observer status for Northern Irish representatives in this Parliament must be a priority. As I said in Westminster last week, this isn't just symbolic; it is part of ongoing conversations on our island – a united Ireland within the European Union. However, we Irish must get to grips with the potential of a new shared identity, of starting again.”
“Israel rejects the concept of a Palestinian state, which is why we must stand for it and lead international isolation of Israel until that happens on every level: diplomatic, cultural, economic and sporting. FIFA must ban Israel. Europe must sanction Israel now. 2-0245-0000 Catch-the-eye procedure 2-0246-0000”
“Madam President, Europe, the world's greatest peace project, must not stand by as Trump and Netanyahu design a toxic plan for Palestine. Europe must take inspiration from the humanity of the Sumud flotilla, not the cowering submission of President von der Leyen. Her failure of leadership is why I will support Thursday's motion of censure from the Left. We must return to the vision of a two‑state solution, where the national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis can coexist and never again fall to the depths of Hamas depravity of 7 October, or the monstrous actions of the Israeli apartheid regime over generations and the genocide of the last two years.”
“Madam President, like millions of others in our Union, I believe in Europe. Together we believe in a Europe based on social justice, on human rights and on solidarity – a Europe that is a voice for good in the world.”
“When EU ministers meet on 15 July, we must scrap the EU-Israel Association Agreement and we must sanction Israel now. Saoirse don Phalaistín! 2-0369-0000”
“I dtús báire, ní mór don Ardionadaí Kallas, leithscéal a ghabháil as an méid a dúirt sí le gairid ó thaobh stair na hÉireann de. Dúirt sí nach ionann an taithí atá againne agus na tíortha san Iarthar, iad siúd a chaill a gcultúr agus a dteangacha. Ní mór di staidéar a dhéanamh ar stair na hÉireann agus ceistigh cén fáth a labhraítear Béarla in Éirinn agus cén fáth a bhfuil na milliúin daoine le sloinnte Éireannacha ar fud na cruinne mar thoradh ar fhoréigean, ocras agus bochtanas, a Ardionadaí. As Irish people, such as many others, we know what it means to have your language, your culture and your very identity suppressed, we know what it means to live under occupation, to have foreign powers dictate your fate. This is why we have a deep sense of solidarity with Palestinian people and why we stand here calling for action from the EU.”
“And people often ask us, do we feel this way because we are Irish? It's not because we are Irish. It is because we are human. With eyes, with spines, with hearts. We ask you to open your eyes, to grow a spine, to grow a heart, and to end the association agreement and to sanction Israel. 2-0578-0000”
“Mr President, High Representative, why does the Commission say they care about the rights of children, unless they are Palestinian? Why do they say they care about hunger, unless it is in Gaza? Why do they say to defend international law, until it is violated by Israel? High Representative, Europeans have had enough of this hypocrisy. Europe's leaders only offer silence and shame instead of condemnation. Ursula von der Leyen picked up the phone to Netanyahu over the weekend. You visited Israel in March when the death toll was already 50 000. And now we hear that Israeli representatives are to be welcomed to Brussels next week for the EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting. This should be unconscionable. And let me tell you how, High Representative, citizens will be there to protest.”
“This is our moment to prove that Europe is more than a market – indeed, it is a movement – and we are a Union of values, one that stands up for its people. 2-0088-0000”
“Mr President, 80 000 Irish jobs at risk. Last week, as we marked May Day, Trump's reckless tariffs cast a shadow over workers and businesses across Europe. The full impact is unclear, but what is clear is that unless we act, it's workers who will pay the price. We saw this in 2008, when families bore the brunt of the crash, and we can't let that happen again. We must protect those who keep our economies running: workers and small businesses. Real strength does not come from governments reneging on sick pay and living wage commitments, as the Irish Government has done, but from decent jobs, affordable housing and public investments. These tariffs are really about a perverse perception of power, and Europe must respond with unity and resolve. If Trump wants a trade war, we won't have started it, but we won't back down.”
“I now hear two Irish citizens, Roberta Murray and Shane O'Brien, being deported from Germany for engaging in pro-Palestinian protest. Those two protesters have more courage than most MEPs in this Parliament. History will hail them. History will condemn Members of this Parliament who have blood on their hands. End the association agreement with Israel. 2-0541-0000”
“Madam President, Israel continues to commit the greatest evil the world has witnessed in recent memory. Two weeks ago, we debated its use of starvation as a weapon of war. This week we witnessed the targeting of healthcare workers and rescuers in Gaza – a mass grave discovered containing 15 humanitarian workers executed one by one, buried by an Israeli bulldozer. Their crime: wearing the red crescent. And as Israel bombards Palestinians with relentless airstrikes, enforces mass evacuation orders in southern Gaza and erects new checkpoints to strangle movement in the West Bank, it blocks the very people and medical equipment who could save innocent lives. Meanwhile, some Members of this Parliament dare to call for the defunding of the only agency that can still help: UNWRA.”
“The US is choking on the vulgarity of what its political system has produced. History demands that Europe resists. 2-0064-0000”
“Madam President, the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic hailed support from our exiled children in America and our gallant allies in Europe. We never thought we would have to choose between them, but we do. We don't know what tariffs may come this week. Workers and businesses in Ireland potentially face the worst economic shock since the crash of 2008. But Europe must stand united. For too long, Ireland's relationship with the US has been viewed through a lens of nostalgia. But we cannot cling to an administration with such contempt for our values. Ireland's membership of this family of nations has lifted us from the dark ages and moved us forward. Trump wants to drag us back to division, protectionism and hateful nationalism. Ireland is not between Europe and America. We are Europe. We must face down Trump's America.”
“We stand with you, Lynn, in demanding the strongest possible response from President Metsola. Far from business as usual, Israel must face sanctions now! Saoirse don Phalaistín! 2-0602-0000”
“Madam President, Israel's breach of the ceasefire, cutting off electricity, food and fuel to over 2 million people is a calculated act of collective punishment, a violation of international law. For 10 consecutive days, starvation has become a weapon of war, and the EU Commission responds by continuing to hold meetings of the EU-Israel Association Council. Business as usual. This is a disgrace! It tarnishes our moral standing and exposes the hypocrisy in our commitment to human rights. The recent obstruction of a European Parliament delegation and the deportation of MEPs and EU officials is an affront to our democratic processes, and I want to express my solidarity to my constituency colleague and Chair of the delegation, Lynn Boylan. You mess with one Dub; you mess with all Dubs!”
“We cannot allow the rest of this Parliament to be driven by a deregulation agenda. The market has no conscience – neither, it seems, do those who worship it. 1-0138-0000”
“Madam President, the 'simplification agenda' – like most right-wing phrases, it sounds so benign, but it is also very dangerous. Right-wing politicians are experts at presenting themselves as responsible and sensible, but it is the politics of the right that have plunged Europe into disaster after disaster. Right-wing politics gave us the banking and economic crash, the climate crisis, the rise of homophobia and racism and the vaccine hesitancy that cost lives. It is right-wing policies that fuel homelessness and lead to poorer pay, more discrimination and unsafe work environments. And it is the politics of the right that pours petrol on the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. So we must greet the promotion of 'simplification' and 'cutting red tape' with deep suspicion. Our environmental and social standards were hard fought for.”
“Anyone who believes in the founding principles of the EU should be appalled by what we witnessed yesterday. I am appalled. So I resist and Europe must resist because our history demands it. 2-0294-0000”
“Mr President, yesterday we witnessed the inauguration of a man whose ideology embodies everything the EU was founded to reject. The EU cannot just stand for our values when it is easy. It matters most when it comes at a cost. Standing up to Trump will come with a cost, but it is much less than the cost of letting this poison win. I am done with the niceties from EU leaders to Trump, while his tech-bro buddies call for our laws to be undermined. I am done with the Taoiseach of Ireland, with our historic understanding of immigration and oppression, promoting Trump's golf links in County Clare in response to his inauguration. And I am done with the so-called strong men who, if they had to live for one day in the shoes of an immigrant, a woman or a transgender person, would quiver with fear.”
“Now Europe must show its humanity: support UNWRA, rebuild Gaza, stand for justice, peace and a future for the children of Palestine. 1-0101-0000 Catch-the-eye procedure 1-0102-0000”
“Mr President, this ceasefire offers the people of Gaza a moment to breathe after fifteen months of horror. The task of rebuilding Gaza requires Europe's full commitment to help Palestinians restore their lives with dignity. It is the EU's moral duty. The future of Gaza's 650 000 children depends on getting back into UNRWA's schools, many of which lie in rubble today. And frankly, I am disgusted at the diseased mindset that has led some MEPs in this House to undermine UNWRA, with some even voting to defund schoolbooks for children. The proposed Knesset law to dismantle UNRWA's operation puts at risk any chance for lasting peace in the region. Too often in this conflict, the EU's silence in the face of injustice has left a shameful echo.”