Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the ambassador and wish her well in her tenure here. I also welcome her opening statement and we all agree that we are in challenging times and they will remain so for some considerable time.

The challenges that the ambassador has mentioned that we have to face immediately adjacent to us is the Brexit issue, which will have quite an economic impact. Incidentally, this is not mentioned by many people, but there has already been quite a heavy economic impact in the run-up to Brexit by virtue of the doubt, indecision and the lack of confidence that has arisen. As a result, the UK economy, that of our own and the European economy have suffered to some considerable extent already. Like many people, I believe that the longer this indecision continues, the worse things get. One never knows if it is the best or worst scenario. One will always plan for the worst circumstances.

We also need to record our appreciation for the solidarity we have received in our situation from our colleagues throughout the length and breadth of the European Union. It is important for us to realise that it is a European Union-wide issue as well. In the final analysis, we and most people throughout European Union would far prefer if the UK did not leave the European Union but this is their decision. We cannot provide for everything.

The ambassador mentioned security and defence as an issue and we can understand that. We are, of course, a neutral country. We note Finland's geographic location and its neighbours and realise that in the time ahead, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit, security and defence will be a serious issue. While we are a neutral country, we have nonetheless participated in international peacekeeping in the past and are committed to doing what we can do within the confines of our neutrality which started, incidentally, in 1939. We were not a neutral country before that. I believe that the decision to be neutral in those circumstances was the correct one. We could have become a battleground in what we know subsequently happened.

The ambassador made a very interesting point on deforestation. This comes to mind for most of the farming community in Ireland in the context of Mercosur and the proposal to import beef from Latin American countries. While that is fine in principle, if it can only be achieved by way of deforestation thereby creating a larger carbon footprint, it is counter-productive. That is without even taking into account the carbon emissions arising from transportation. Many years ago, a well known Irish politician said that if we were to encourage the retention of the rainforests, the rest of the developed world would have to provide compensation. That is what is going to have to happen eventually. Otherwise, with a world population that is growing and expanding every year, alarmingly so some people would say, there will be a shortage of food. Obviously, people will plan for as much food as possible as quickly as possible and that is, sadly, to the detriment of the environment. In our own way, we have been embarking on a carbon reduction policy albeit we have been criticised for not having done enough before now. However, we are still in plenty of time to achieve the targets we have set. If we achieve those targets, we will be fine. We have to look at that.

I was listening to a programme on radio the other day on which a number of scientists had come together to explain in a way that has not been done before the whole effect of deforestation and carbon emission increases. They went into my favourite subject of the species of trees that are best or worst placed to provide carbon sequestration. It was a very interesting programme and it ran on RTÉ radio. There is a benefit there for us in the whole battle against climate change and it is something we need to take into account. I congratulate the ambassador on her position and I hope for her and for us that it will be of a satisfactory duration.