Thomas Byrne
Meath East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“We are very proud of the work they do in what are often very dangerous circumstances. Let us be 100% clear: our troops will only ever do peacekeeping, peace enforcement or conflict prevention in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter and, of course, as with every action of this Government, in accordance with the Constitution.”
“To be clear on what our troops will be doing, they will be doing peacekeeping, peace enforcement and conflict prevention. That is what the law says; not what the Deputy imagines it to be. We are bound by our Constitution and international law. The legislation changes nothing in that regard.”
“We are bound by international law. We are bound by international law since our Constitution came into force and we continue to be bound by international law and always will be, no matter what happens to this legislation. International law governs what we do as a Government.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 125, 140, 157 and 185 together. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister. A commitment to reform what is known as the triple lock was set out in the programme for Government.”
“-----in accordance with UN principles and, of course, in accordance with our own Constitution, which commits us to peace and friendly relations among nations. The triple lock is a statutory mechanism.”
“Switzerland, the classical neutral country that is not even a member of the European Union and will never join the European Union, it is so neutral and independent, accepts UN, EU and OSCE mandates. I understand the situation is similar in Austria, which is another neutral country. By the way, it is also similar in Germany.”
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“We know how important this sector is to our economy. Work is under way on a successor strategy to Ireland for Finance, the whole-of-government strategy for the development of the international financial services sector in Ireland. Anticipated for launch later this year, the new strategy will be informed by a wide range of national and international stakeholder engagement, public consultation and research. The funds sector will be a key aspect of this new strategy. The Department of Finance undertook a review of the funds industry in 2023 and the resulting funds review 2030 was published in October 2024. The review issued 42 recommendations to continue to grow this important sector of our economy. An implementation plan was published in October 2025.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue at a time when Ireland's contribution to the global financial ecosystem has never been more vital or more visible. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the importance of the funds industry in Ireland and the need for competitiveness. I apologise; copies of my script are on the way. We thought they had already been sent down. The latest estimate from IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland indicates that just over 20,000 people are directly employed in the funds sector. Furthermore, in terms of those working in the financial services industry - domestically and internationally focused - in Ireland, there are over 120,000 people employed, and these jobs are regionally spread throughout the country, employing highly skilled workers in almost every county.”
“It involves two large powers trying to engage with each other in a fair way that benefits people. To be clear, the Bill seeks to follow the Supreme Court decision to allow us on another day to ratify the CETA agreement.”
“I want to be clear, to counteract some more misinformation, that the Supreme Court found the joint committee system in CETA does not breach the Constitution. This is what the Supreme Court found. In fact, the joint committee system is a procedure that is designed to preclude the possibility of the development of jurisprudence beyond the scope anticipated by the parties. This is another protection. The joint committee system is another protection. These investor courts are not for big business only. Small and medium enterprises have very much been a focus of trade agreements in recent times in particular, and there is specific provision for them here. Here we are developing trade relationships with Canada. It is not to do with the Third World and it is not to do with development of poor countries.”
“To be clear, as one Deputy said, there is an element of repetition. That is what happened on Committee Stage when there was no time limit whatsoever and yet, quite frankly, the debate ran out of steam. This is a Bill that is not even two pages long in total. It is a very short piece of legislation. It is a very net point. We have not seen much debate on the individual amendments tonight to get through them. We have heard the overall points that have been made time and time again. I want to be clear about one thing. We have heard about 6:1 and 4:3 majorities but we do not have an American-style Supreme Court. We have decisions of the Supreme Court and the Government has to go with the decisions of the Supreme Court.”
“That gives the Supreme Court and the High Court the ultimate say on any award an investor court might theoretically make. I stand over my assertion that this would be incredibly rare. The way this would work is the State says no, it will rely on the arbitration Bill to prevent this because it believes enforcing the award would compromise the constitutional order of the State or the autonomy of the legal order of the European Union and then the Irish courts would decide. That is what the Bill does. Setting it out in such simple terms is a challenge to all of the scare stories put forward by the Opposition. Our task is to ratify CETA in a way that passes constitutional muster. Fortunately in this case we have guidance from the Supreme Court. That is all the Bill tries to do.”
“If the State were ever to rely on the provisions of this Bill, first of all we would have to ratify a trade agreement. Every signatory has to ratify it for the investor courts force to come into force anyway. There then has to be an award against the State in the investor court. If the State does not like it, it then has the remedy under the legislation - let us remember this legislation is extremely short, on a very net point and is not directly related to CETA. The State is then essentially challenging the enforcement of the award in the State. That is what the Bill is about. The enforcement is prevented if enforcing the award would compromise the constitutional order of the State or the autonomy of the legal order of the European Union.”
“The Bill before us amends the Arbitration Act, introduces a procedure into Irish law for the enforcement of awards rendered by tribunals established under CETA and similar international agreements, addresses the concerns of the Supreme Court and specifies the applicable grounds on which an award may not be enforced. The concerns the Supreme Court raised could not be met if amendment No. 11 were accepted. Therefore, we cannot accept it. I think it was said from across the floor that we are rewriting our whole approach to that trade and trade agreements can be brought in without scrutiny but that is not the case. There is a whole procedure involving the Commission, member states, the European Parliament and national parliaments, maybe, to do this. Trade agreements do not happen overnight.”
“I had nothing to do with the scheduling of the debate on football. I presume that is a matter for the Business Committee. As Deputies are aware, the Costello judgment prevented Ireland's ratification of CETA and other mixed EU trade agreements containing similar investment provisions. The Supreme Court in the Costello case not only identified constitutional concerns that prevented the ratification of CETA but the court then identified a legislative path to allow us to cure the concerns that had been raised. The Government, working with the Attorney General, has considered the findings of the Supreme Court. This legislation is the response, having looked at what the Supreme Court said and the guidance the Supreme Court gave us, which we are now implementing.”
“There was no provision allowing for the right to regulate under that particular treaty that the Vermillion case was concerned with in France. Because of those concerns were raised, we have collectively, as a European Union of member states and Canada, decided to change the way we do things, which is to ensure we have a right to regulate and ensure we have an investor court system that works and recognises the role of the sate in regulating and doing social good, but also gives predictability, certainty and transparency to business in order that we can develop important trade ties. I know that many people in the development sector are concerned about trade agreements in general but this is between Canada and the European Union. It is a totally different circumstance.”
“That is my point. These examples have been given as if they are directly related to the ratification of CETA or the passage of this legislation. The cases the Deputies mentioned have not been decided under the investor court system. They have been decided under the old, long-standing system of investor state dispute settlement, ISDS. I have already outlined the difficulties with that. We felt there was a lack of consistency and predictability, a lack of transparency and the issue of the right to regulate, which I have spoken about at length already, was not there. In the Vermillion case Deputy Gibney spoke about, none of the provisions I am talking about that apply under CETA were there and it was not under an investor court system but under the ISDS system. It was not under CETA.”
“Deputies have raised a number of cases, none involving Ireland. In fact, there was a letter in the newspaper today which criticised me for describing these cases as relatively rare and then it went on to give the reason in the same letter why we have relatively low numbers of cases involving Ireland. We have very few. The cases that have been talked about are not related to CETA. Even the example used of the Canadian company is not under the CETA agreement.”
“For example, Article 8.9(2) of CETA provides that "the mere fact that a Party regulates, including through a modification to its laws, in a manner which negatively affects an investment or interferes with an investor's expectations, including its expectations of profits, does not amount to a breach of an obligation". These agreements include clearly defined investment protection standards, including fair and equitable treatment on expropriation, and provide clear guidance to tribunals on how these should be applied. There is no danger to the State's right to regulate. We have crossed the t's, dotted the i's and done absolutely everything and it is still the case that Deputies opposite do not believe what is written in front of them in the treaties and in the guidance to it.”
“CETA also clearly defines indirect expropriation. It specifies that non-discriminatory measures to attain legitimate policy goals, for example, regarding labour, health and the environment, are not deemed to be indirect expropriation unless they are manifestly disproportionate. Concerns have been raised that despite all of this, the affirmation of the right to regulate would not be effective in practice. Just to reassure everyone, these agreements include provisions which provide guidance to investment dispute resolution tribunals, including in relation to the application of the right to regulate.”
“The joint interpretive instrument says that CETA preserves the ability of the European Union and its member states and Canada to adopt and apply their own laws and regulations that regulate economic activity in the public interest to achieve legitimate public policy objectives such as the protection and promotion of public health, social services, public education, safety, the environment, public morals, social and consumer protection, privacy and data protection and the promotion and protection of cultural diversity. Yet, Deputies from across the floor of the House come in to tell me that black is white and that it is not the case even though that is what the member states have agreed in the joint interpretive instrument. I think that is wrong and that is misinformation and fearmongering that does not stand up to any scrutiny.”
“I draw the Deputies' attention to the commitment to preserving the right to regulate as reflected not only in the substantive articles addressing this issue but also in the preambles to the agreement, the general treaty structure and, in the case of CETA - again to address concerns that have been raised - the joint interpretive instrument. The negotiators, the member states of the European Union and Canada, have gone far to address any concerns on this.”
“These agreements include articles, which affirm that the parties preserve their right to regulate for public policy purposes. This is stitched into the CETA agreement, which again we will have another debate about after we pass this legislation because we will have to have a Dáil resolution about it. The trade agreement also provides that the investment protection provisions shall not be interpreted as a commitment from governments that their legal frameworks will remain unchanged. The Dáil and the European Union can change legislation. The agreements further clarify that the fact a measure may negatively affect an investment or an investor's expectations of profits is not sufficient to say the measure is inconsistent with the agreement.”
“We are following the judgment of the Supreme Court and that is all this legislation is doing. We acknowledge the Costello case. It happened, but the court gave a path for us to be able to ratify CETA in a constructional way. Again, we keep hearing, and Deputy Gibney spoke, about how we will not be able to do the just transition, we cannot regulate anymore, and we cannot do anything now because these companies decide. None of that is true. It absolutely does not prevent us from regulating on public policy, protecting public health, workers, the environment and the rental market. This type of talk about the Canada trade agreement is scaremongering, it really is. It is not believable scaremongering either. It is scarcely believable.”
“It is not the same. It is a different system and people keep quoting the previous system, which the Canada trade agreement has actually worked to improve and to make it more transparent. That is important. Irish companies need access to effective international remedies abroad and companies investing in Ireland want similar reassurance. The Irish Government is working to make the economy more competitive and resilient to economic shocks, and the Government’s approach in bringing forward the legislation has been questioned as to why we are doing this. The reality is that this legislation stems from the decision of the Supreme Court in the Costello case. It identified concerns, but the judgment of the Supreme Court identified the legislative path for us. That is what we are doing in bringing forward this Bill.”
“Provisional application is an important mechanism that allows companies, consumers and the State to benefit from the trade agreement at an early stage, but it is not the same as ratification. On the subject of investment dispute resolution, there is again a misconception. We keep hearing in the Dáil and the public media about the ISDS system, the investor-state dispute settlement system. This is not the same as that. This is the investor court system, which has been developed in response to concerns that many people raised about the previous system, which Members keep referring to.”
“At a time of global turbulence, it is an important signal for Ireland to seek to ratify these agreements with Canada and Chile, which provide Irish companies and exporters with new opportunities to expand and grow trade overseas. Our trade and investment relationship with the friendly, democratic state of Canada is deep and growing, with over €12 billion in trade in 2024 and direct employment in each other's economies of approximately 20,000 people. Our trade with Chile is more modest but it is growing, and I am convinced that a fully ratified agreement can support more trade and more jobs, most importantly of all. I am conscious of claims that we should not be concerned with ratifying CETA, as has been said at committee, because the parts which provide for more open trading are already provisionally applied.”
“This Bill guides us from the Costello case as to how we do so in a constitutional way. However, this Bill does not ratify CETA. That is a separate constitutional procedure in this House. There has been no shortage of debate on the issue and this is a debate, which is not rushed. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, has been scrutinised rigorously and at length in a number of forums, including in the Oireachtas, the courts and at national, international and European level over the past ten years. I think this is my third time to debate the Bill in the Oireachtas and many amendments have been considered and discussed to date. They are all important amendments, but many are on the same issues and are variations on the same theme. Free trade benefits the Irish economy.”
“As a point of clarity I am in Renew Europe, and I am proud to be part of Renew Europe. At the outset I return briefly to first principles and set out the reasons behind this legislation. The Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 seeks to put Ireland, which is a country that greatly benefits from international trade, in a position where it can decide to ratify the range of EU trade and investment agreements we massively benefit from as EU member states. There is a bit of a misconception in what Deputy Ó Laoghaire says because he says there are so many ramifications from this Bill. There are no ramifications from this Bill if we do not ratify the treaties to which it refers. It is important to remember there is a separate ratification process under the Constitution if we are to ratify CETA.”
“Is é seo an pacáiste is suntasaí, is cuimsithí agus is mó san Eoraip. Má éiríonn le rún Shinn Féin, ní bheidh deis ag an Dáil an pacáiste seo a chur i bhfeidhm. A bhuí leis an mBunreacht, is tír daonlathach muid. Chonaic muid an tseachtain seo san Ungáir an bua ar Viktor Orbán. Chuir sé na polasaithe de shaghas Independent Ireland i bhfeidhm, ag dul ar aghaidh agus ag iarraidh gach rud a dhéanamh chun freagraí simplí a thabhairt do mhuintir na tíre sin. Is rogha don tír seo é an damáiste a rinne sé don Ungáir a bheith ag tabhairt na bhfreagraí simplí sin. Is é an dearcadh a bheidh againn ná, uaireanta, bíonn na fadhbanna seo an-deacair agus ba cheart dúinn díospóireacht iomlán a bheith againn sa Dáil agus i measc an Rialtais faoin mbealach ar féidir linn déileáil le fadhbanna na tíre seo. Is tír daonlathach muid.”
“Sé sheachtain ó shin, dhúisigh muid go léir san Eoraip agus trasna an domhain le radharc nua is drámata de bhuamaí agus cogadh sa Mheánoirthear. Dá bharr seo, tá taithí ag gach tír san Eoraip le méadú ar phraghas an ola mar aon le ganntanas. Baineann sé seo le gach duine. Tá sé seo ag tarlú na mílte míle ón tír seo, ach tá éifeacht láidir aige ar phobal, ar ghnóthaí agus ar theaghlaigh na hÉireann. Mar Aire Stáit a bhfuil freagrachtaí na ngnóthaí Eorpacha orm, tá a fhios agam, ó bheith ag labhairt le mo chomhghleacaithe Eorpacha, nach bhfuil Éire léi féin sa ghéarchéim seo. San Aontas Eorpach, tá an pacáiste is cuimsithí agus is mó de thacaíocht airgeadais ar fáil in Éirinn ná mar atá in aon tír in Eoraip chun cabhrú le teaghlaigh agus le gnóthaí Éireannacha déileáil leis an ngéarchéim.”
“Ireland chaired those meetings in the latter half of last year and Prime Minister Tusk was in the Irish delegation room meeting the Taoiseach as part of that. There is a really good relationship. There is a lot to build on and a lot to work on. There is one thing we want to see that is lacking. There are not enough flights to Warsaw from Ireland. I know both ambassadors are working very hard on this. There are flights to lots of other places in Poland but at times it is quite difficult to get a flight to Warsaw. This is a concern to us all and we are working on it.”
“Belarus is an issue of considerable concern to the Polish Government. The Deputy is right. It is a major security concern for them. I think pretty much all of the major figures in the Belarusian opposition are based in Warsaw at the invitation of the Polish Government, so there is a strong link between them. At all levels of government, be it with Prime Minister Tusk, the Taoiseach, Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, the Secretary of State Mr. Niemczycki, and myself, we have a very good relationship with Poland. That relationship has been brought to a new level by Ireland taking part in the Nordic-Baltic meetings before the European Council. Poland is now a part of this and it is now called the Northern Nine.”
“It is quite extraordinary that there is a St. Patrick's Day parade in a place like Lódz, which is one of the biggest cities in Poland. To see the celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Lódz and in Warsaw really brings a new meaning to the word "diaspora". The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, has been doing work on this too. It is a reverse diaspora of people who were here, who have exceptionally fond memories of this country, and who want to continue to build the links.”
“What the Polish people have done in supporting refugees from Ukraine, as well as giving military support, has been extraordinary. At the start of the war people arrived off trains or off transport and were met on the platforms by Polish residents and brought to their homes. We can account for millions of people who have benefited from that. There is a strong desire in Poland to see Ukraine accede to the European Union. I have had much conversation on this topic with counterparts, with the chargé d'affaires here, and with our ambassador. The Deputy is right to emphasise the strong links between Ireland and Poland. We have about 96,000 Polish people living in Ireland but I think there are about 100,000 people living in Poland who used to live in Ireland. There are at least 10,000 children in Poland who have Irish citizenship.”
“Ambassador Haughey is very well known in Poland and he and his staff are doing an excellent job representing us in that country.”
“I highlighted the Blue Star programme to the Secretary of State, which is a programme we have here in Ireland to help increase awareness of the European Union among young people in Ireland. Over the past several months, I have endeavoured to travel to each European Union capital in advance of our Presidency as part of our Presidency preparations, setting out our priorities and listening to my counterparts' concerns and perspectives. Such visits have been very valuable and are making a significant contribution to our preparations. I thank the Irish ambassador, Mr. Patrick Haughey, and his team in Poland for the excellent organisation of the visit and for the excellent regard in which they are held by the Polish system.”
“We looked ahead to Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second-half of this year and we discussed our main priorities, including competitiveness, security, and European values. We also discussed the enlargement of the European Union, on which there seems to be strong momentum at the moment. The Secretary of State and I had good exchanges on competitiveness and simplification, including better regulation. There was a very welcome discussion on the importance of the rule of law. Obviously there has been a change in perception and a change in view in Poland with the change of Government there. We both welcomed the work on the European Democracy Shield, which has been brought forward by Commissioner Michael McGrath.”
“I met my Polish counterpart, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Mr. Ignacy Niemczycki, in Warsaw on 13 March. This was the first of many engagements I had during my three-day St. Patrick's Day programme in Poland, which was followed with a visit to Ukraine and then to Moldova. The Secretary of State, Mr. Niemczycki, and I discussed the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries, including growing economic ties and the outstanding and wide contribution the large Polish community is making in Ireland. The Secretary of State and I had a very useful and constructive meeting where we addressed major files on the European Union agenda.”
“We will also host the EU's team of negotiators for the UN climate COP here in Ireland in July, as well as a second meeting of expert groups preparing the conference on the environment meeting. Environment ministers will also meet in Ireland in advance to discuss the preparations. Our Ministers go over and meet the teams over there. That will be an important moment for us. The issue of energy has been raised. It is important. That is the focus not just this week but in general. Work is ongoing at the European level to alleviate the situation that we in Europe find ourselves in, in general terms, and to make us more self-sufficient in relation to our energy so that we are not as prone to suffering the shocks of international geopolitical crises.”
“There are two, namely, the climate summit and the biodiversity summit. This again is a major point of pride for Irish Ministers. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, will do the climate summit and I think the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, will do the biodiversity summit, working on the behalf of the European Union. It is a huge responsibility. The relevant Departments have put together big teams to prepare the process at EU level and to prepare for the work at the conferences. For example, at the climate summit in Türkiye, Ireland provides the physical infrastructure for those EU meetings. Our preparation of resources involves a document management system to co-ordinate the large volume of position papers. We get involved in those types of practical matters, as well as being the people on the ground.”
“This year, we expect significant progress on EU-UK relations, which will make things easier in the North of Ireland, and here as well, in respect of the import and export of food products in particular. That will have a major beneficial effect. There will also be an effect in the electricity market, which is very important, on an all-Ireland basis. The North of Ireland will be very much a part of our focus. It is unfortunate, although there is nothing I can do about it, that it is not a part of the European Union any more. Those citizens live there. I constantly remind people that while the North of Ireland may not be a part of the European Union, there are hundreds of thousands of European Union citizens living there. They are certainly very much in our minds. Senator Noonan raised the COP summits.”
“Unfortunately, due to a decision of other people, mainly those in England and Wales, Northern Ireland was ripped out of the European Union. We worked really hard - I thank Senator Joe Conway for his remarks in respect of what the Irish Governments did at the time - to make the best of that terrible situation. Last week, I went to Queen's University Belfast to consult about the priorities for our Presidency, to talk to the people there about the Presidency, to listen to their questions and to engage with them about the Presidency. It was important that I did that. I am sure there will be other engagements in advance of the Presidency. We keep the North of Ireland and the citizens who live there in our minds. The fact that the North of Ireland is part of the Single Market for goods is very important.”
“It will show off the best of us and what we are known for. People across the European Union look forward to that. Many Senators are in contact with local authorities and some of them mentioned the county pairing system. There is a fund there, the communicating Europe initiative, and I encourage local authorities to apply for funding to run events during the Presidency to communicate Europe and the Presidency. Local authorities can apply for that funding, but so too can community groups. These are small grants that could run a small festival, an exhibition or a talk. There are lots of ideas. In previous years, we have not been oversubscribed in respect of that funding. I encourage people to apply for that funding. It is important. The North of Ireland is an important focus for me as part of the Presidency.”
“Tá córas sa Bhruiséil agus i Lucsamburg ina bhfuil grúpaí oibre, nó meithleacha mar a ghlaoimid orthu, a dhéanann a lán de na hidirbheartaíochta maidir leis na píosaí reachtaíochta atá le cur le chéile san Eoraip. Beidh roinnt de na cruinnithe nó meithleacha sin á reáchtáil trí Ghaeilge don chéad uair riamh. Is céim shuntasach í seo don Ghaeilge agus do stádas agus d’úsáid na Gaeilge. Tá súil agam go spreagann sé daoine le dul amach agus a gcuid Gaeilge a choimeád agus a chur chun cinn ionas gur féidir linn níos mó oibre a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge mar is ceart dúinn a dhéanamh agus sinn ag obair ar son na tíre seo sa Bhruiséil, i Lucsamburg agus anseo in Éirinn i rith na hUachtaránachta freisin. As Senator Noonan asked about culture, I will speak about the extensive cultural programme for our Presidency.”
“We are working to make sure it is as strong as possible for us and that the European budget gives value for money for every European. We and the European Union have been focused on protecting food supplies because of that establishment of the European Union post the Second World War. Rural development is also being prioritised. We have seen many good examples of that. Let us be honest: rural Ireland is thriving. Population levels are increasing in most of rural Ireland. I saw statistics the other day that indicate urbanisation in Ireland has decreased, probably because rural Ireland is doing a lot better than many other rural areas. Senator Noonan spoke about culture. Bhí a lán daoine ag cur fáilte roimh stádas na Gaeilge i rith na hUachtaránachta. Beidh an Ghaeilge á húsáid ag Airí agus ag Státseirbhísigh.”
“They were not coming into military installations or Government buildings, they were hitting blocks of apartments like those that are all around Senator Andrews's area. That is what the European Union is paying for - Ireland is not directly paying for it. The European Union is funding this loan to Ukraine to allow them to live. This is because we care who lives. We care that the people of Ukraine live and survive to receive some of the humanitarian aid that we are giving. In relation to the agenda ahead of us over the coming months, the Common Agricultural Policy, the long-term budget of the EU, is very important to us. That is on my desk, working with the Ministers for agriculture and finance, and the Taoiseach, who will ultimately conclude negotiations.”
“On peace and Ukraine, I will be visiting Ukraine for St. Patrick's Day. It will not be for celebration or presenting shamrock to anybody but simply as a symbol of our support for Ukraine, particularly as we go into the Presidency. You can literally drive from here to Ukraine if you wish to and many Ukrainians have done so. Yes, we have given a huge amount of humanitarian aid but if Ukraine does not get the military equipment it needs and that Sinn Féin wants to refuse it, there will be no one left to get humanitarian aid. They will be killed. They will die. The type of military support we are giving is defensive and to prevent them from being killed and dying and to stop missiles hitting apartment blocks or blocks of flats, as I saw personally when I was there.”
“I certainly do not agree with the idea the European Union is moving away from the Christian democratic tradition and I will mention the thing about the my voice, my choice initiative. The European bishops welcomed the decision of the European Commission about this. Senator Mullen disagrees with it. They raised some of the concerns he raised but they actually welcomed the decision. We need to look at all aspects of this particular issue. The other side welcomed it too. I thought that obviously, some kind of compromise was reached that everybody was happy with, which is extraordinary in that debate. I pay tribute to the European Union that it can get the people advocating that campaign and the Catholic bishops to guardedly welcome it. The Union has done something to bring people together.”
“The reality of the situation is that the European Union is founded on the idea that people care about who lives and dies; people care about who lives. We can look at the foundation of the European Coal and Steel Community. It was literally founded so that the coal and steel industries would be merged so you could not make weapons to fight against each other. That is literally why the European Union was made One of the people who was responsible for the founding of the European Union, to Senator Mullen's point, was Robert Schuman. He is now on the road to sainthood within the Catholic Church. The idea there is some unchristian agenda within the European Union needs to be totally knocked on the head. That was a process started by Pope Francis.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí go léir as cad atá ráite acu anseo sa Seanad. Tá áthas orm go bhfuil daoine dearfach faoin Uachtaránacht agus go bhfuil tuairimí acu ar conas gur féidir linn an Eoraip agus ár dtír féin a chur chun cinn i rith na hUachtaránachta. I thank the Senators for their contributions here today. There is a huge range of issues and forgive me if there were certain aspects mentioned or not mentioned. When you have ten minutes, it is almost impossible to get everything in but I have listened to what people have said. The European Union is the greatest peace project ever. I say this all of the time. Peace is the very foundation of the European Union. I fundamentally disagree with Senator Higgins who said, if I understood her correctly, the European Union cares little for who lives or dies.”
“We have also done a consultation process for which we received many submissions. We are not 100% sure but we think we may be the first member state to do a public consultation on our priorities. I have met a wide range of stakeholders from across business, civil society, trade unions, schools and other groups on as many Fridays as I can. Other Ministers have meetings with their own stakeholders and we have had nearly 500 submissions. The Presidency calendar is also being worked on at the moment in terms of the meetings we have. It is also Ireland's first Presidency since Irish was made an official language of the European Union, and that is very significant. We have a policy document on the use of Irish during the Presidency.”
“European member states are looking for the European Union to give them assistance in how they determine and build up their own defence capacities. Our solidarity with Ukraine is steadfast. We feel that Ukraine must be supported in its lawful ability and moral case to defend itself against Russia's ongoing illegal aggression, including through the provision of continued military support and engagement in the European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine. Maritime security is likely to be one of our security and defence priorities during our Presidency, and I welcome the publication of that strategy. We intend to prioritise the countering of hybrid threats, including preparedness and building up EU resilience and people's resilience to hybrid activities. We will formally set out the policy programme in June 2026.”
“Europe faces a deteriorating international security situation. Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing hybrid attacks across the Continent present a complex and evolving threat environment and new challenges for the European Union. Our EU Presidency will endeavour to navigate that changing landscape. The prominence of security and defence among our anticipated priorities reflects the priority attached by Ireland and our fellow EU member states to investing in defence capabilities, enhancing resilience and strengthening European security. However, it is important to remember the European Union is not a defence alliance. That is NATO, and while other countries are part of NATO, Ireland is not.”
“If some of these benchmarks are reached under the current EU Presidency of Cyprus, Ireland will seek to facilitate the closure of negotiating chapters. The European Commission considers that all negotiating clusters are ready for opening for Ukraine and Moldova. We hope that this can happen. What is stopping this at the moment is the veto by Hungary. We want to ensure that we can move this forward. We hope that this will happen at the start of our Presidency. We also want to progress all other EU candidacies where conditions allow. Who knows? Iceland will be having a referendum, which we expect to happen during the summer. It is up to the people, but they may well decide to restart negotiations with the European Union, which they cancelled during our last Presidency for various reasons.”
“We have been transformed. Economically, we are totally different. Some 1 million people were working in this country in 1973 and there are now about 2.7 million people working. We want to build upon this. We want to facilitate Montenegro's goal of closing all of its negotiating chapters by the end of this year. It is a small country. We also want to see the establishment of what is called the ad hoc committee on the drafting of an accession treaty for Montenegro to progress its membership. We welcome what Albania is doing to try to reach its interim benchmarks, in particular on the rule of law, to make sure that it has a good rule-of-law system, which is a prerequisite for the closing of negotiations.”