Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I want to deal with two issues that highlight very well the bankruptcy of the EU as an institution at the moment. They expose the nature of this organisation which was established and operates in the interests of European big business and in that sense has little to offer ordinary European citizens regardless of where they reside. I refer to the developing disaster in Ukraine and the issue of GM crops which, sadly, is alive and flourishing on the EU agenda at the moment. Both of these areas will have lasting consequences on the lives, health and wellbeing of European citizens.

I believe the tragedy in Ukraine is a consequence not just of the failure of the EU in terms of offering a solution there, but also as a direct result of some of the antics of the EU in that region, along with its colleagues and friends in the United States, intervening for their own economic and military gain - and to hell with the consequences.

As a result of that obviously yesterday saw the end of the ten-day ceasefire by Ukrainian President Poroshenko and his ordering of troops and forces to attack pro-Russian separatists. This has led to a sharp intensification of fighting in eastern Ukraine, which is highly regrettable. However, there was not much of a ceasefire in existence anyway with both sides accusing the other of ignoring the situation on the ground and many fatalities and atrocities being carried out in the course of that alleged ceasefire such as the killing of the Russian journalist on Sunday evening travelling on a bus along with Ukrainian mothers going to visit their sons who were conscripts in the army in that area. It gives a good insight into the difficulties there.

We see a sharp increase in the number of civilians allegedly being wounded and an escalation of shelling by government forces. It is a bit ironic that the Russian delegation argued for the ceasefire to continue but the EU responded by announcing it would implement sanctions against Russia while standing by and not making the same call in terms of President Poroshenko. Of course the EU is saying that, but there are very different interests at the helm of the EU. The US obviously wants harsher sanctions against Russia while Germany needs Russia onside particularly because of its energy needs in that area.

It is clear that the situation is a right mess and the only thing we can say with certainty is that ordinary citizens whether they reside in the east or the west are losing out. It is an absolute disaster. While nobody here would have any truck with the former president, Mr. Yanucovych, or his ousted regime, nonetheless it was an elected government which the West facilitated to undermine and replace with another ultra-right wing - similar in some ways - oligarch who is in control at the moment.

I do not welcome the signing of the EU association agreement because I do not believe it will deliver anything for the people of Ukraine. On the contrary it will contribute to a massive deterioration in living standards in that regime. It is accompanied by IMF austerity against the backdrop of a very difficult economic situation, including a 50% drop in the currency value, huge unemployment and huge economic difficulties in that area. Relaxing and slashing import tariffs from the EU will not assist that situation.

Already we have seen certain retaliatory gestures from Russia, which is Ukraine's biggest export market. In the middle of all of this, while the oligarchs at the top battle for control, the people on the bottom suffer in terms of their wages and living standards. Meanwhile, obviously, the threat of war is escalating. It is a bit ironic that while on the one hand the EU talks about the Russian threat, the Russian moves are very understandable given how NATO has basically encircled it up to the border, and, in effect taken over the Caucuses and very much moved in.

In reality Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine feel very vulnerable. They represent a sizeable part of the population and have long sought a democratic federation that reflects the ethnic diversity in the region.

However, what is happening now is serving to unravel that and make it worse. As John Pilger has described it, these people are neither separatists nor rebels but are citizens who want to live securely in their homeland. That is the position facing most Ukrainians, no matter what side they are on.

In that sense, as a neutral country, this is what we should be reflecting when intervening in the situation, rather than taking sides as we continue to do. I wish to quote from a sociologist in Kiev, who I believe describes the situation very well. He wrote:

Rather than constructing ... hypocritical justifications as to why military suppression of some armed protesters is better than military suppression of other armed protesters, why the pro-Ukrainian far right is better than the pro-Russian far right, why the Ukrainian neoliberal government is better than the Russian neoliberal government, or why we are ready to fight Russian imperialism but ready to accept western imperialist interests in Ukraine, it would be better to support [the] progressive wings [on both sides] ... unite them against the ... ruling class and against ... nationalisms and imperialisms [with] shared demands for social justice.

To me, that is the way forward and is a voice which Ireland, as a neutral country, should be championing around the European Union table. Sadly, however, we prefer to coat-tail the European establishment and, behind the scenes, the establishment of the United States.

The other issue that will have a lasting impact is that of genetically modified, GM, crops. While I am aware that Ireland voted against the introduction of GM corn last February, I believe the Minister, Deputy Hogan, later took a more ambivalent position by welcoming the fact that under the new arrangements, countries could opt out and therefore implied in a way that it basically was okay. I do not accept that viewpoint and believe Ireland has been highly ambivalent and non-committal in its approach to this important issue, as reflected by the fact that Ireland has allowed the GM potato trial in County Carlow. This is not good enough because opting out is not really an option in a Europe in which countries are side by side with one another. Cross-border contamination is a real issue and the impact in that sense cannot be confined within national borders. Ministers are aware that many anti-GM groups have described the latest deal as being seriously flawed and that even the legalities of the national opt-outs are highly questionable. Consequently, the Minister should do more in this regard. Ireland should oppose it when it goes before the Parliament because it will have an enormously damaging impact on our agriculture unless we speak out on it.

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