Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Aontaím go hiomlán leis an Teachta Calleary gurbh iad luachanna an Aontais Eorpaigh atá tábhachtach anseo agus gur féidir leis an duine vótáil sa mhodh is mian leis nó léi vótáil, gur féidir linn labhairt sa mhodh is mian linn, go bhfuil meas againn ar chearta daonna, agus go bhfuilimid anseo ag obair le chéile agus ag iarraidh an saol is fearr a thabhairt do shaoránaigh, ina saol eacnamaíoch ach ina saol sóisialta freisin. Deputy Calleary is right in that the values of the European Union are what are important in any enlargement of the European Union and are key. In the European Union one can basically vote for whoever one likes and say what one likes and there is respect for human rights.

It is interesting because when we joined 50 years ago there had to be a special Government decision to mandate that there would be equal pay between men and women. The interesting thing about that, of course, is because it was the then Irish Commissioner, Patrick Hillery who went in and actually implemented that decision. That was part of our change at that time and there have been ongoing changes since then. All of these types of issues are still there with all of these applicant countries to ensure that they are fully aligned with European values. Ukraine has shown that it is fully on board with European values. It is a democracy which values a free media and we want to give it the strongest possible signal of support and to work with it on whatever issues are there.

Currently, the humanitarian crisis is the big issue.

The rule of law is still extremely important and it is why there is a process to join the European Union and ensure what we take for granted, such as an independent judiciary, a free media and democratic structures, are fully in place. It means that when states are members of the European Union, they cannot backslide on such things. One of the most important actions of every member state is that we submit to the European Commission every year for an examination of the state of the rule of law. We then have a discussion at the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament also has a discussion. Conferences are also organised on the different matters that arise. Such discussions might include the digitalisation of the Courts Service or the reforms to the defamation laws that the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is introducing. We are working towards responding to some of those matters. From an Irish perspective, we do not take umbrage when somebody points out a little thing here or there. We try to do what is right and implement changes.

In the past couple of discussions about Hungary and Poland, I have been particularly conscious that Poland is now hosting over 2 million refugees from Ukraine. It is doing incredible work. Additionally, it has started to make some efforts around changes to its judiciary, although we will have to see the outcome of those efforts. I acknowledge them nonetheless and I encourage Poland to continue that process, which is so important. Ukraine wants what the European Union has and I believe Poland gets that. That is the reality.

There are Article 7 procedures and the committee is aware of them and familiar with them. They will continue. It is difficult to get a concrete outcome from them but it is important to keep them on the table. We fully support the rule of law budget mechanism recently approved by the court and we went to the court to support it. I am very proud that Ireland did that.

There are serious issues in Hungary and there is no doubt about that. It must engage constructively with the Commission. Financial support can be withheld through the rule of law mechanism and we will see how that goes. Both of those countries - Poland in particular but also Hungary - are on the front lines in helping people from Ukraine. They need support for this but it does not take away from all other obligations to respect the rule of law. That applies to each and every one of us. Ireland will continue to be a very strong voice in that regard, watching progress, as we are in Poland, where it is happening to some extent. We must ensure it happens and encourage the countries along that path. We will keep doing that.

There are many things happening relating to energy prices. I am not directly involved with the Government discussions on VAT with the Commission, which will be done through the Department of Finance. They are ongoing and I hope the process will lead to a resolution that will be favourable to us. However, we have introduced significant support here with the voucher or discount on the bills and the excise duty reduction. That is significant in comparison to what the British have done, for example. What is more important overall is getting that price down. That will be done by sourcing gas from places other than Russia and trying to get a security of supply. That is going on. We must store more gas than we do now and have joint purchase of gas, which would give us more market power and, I hope, reduce the price. It is also about moving to renewables because the European Union cannot continue as we are. In heating our houses and putting on the lights, we are totally dependent on a major unfriendly power next to us.

The European Commission will come back in May with another report on the question of energy autonomy and prices. We will see but there has already been significant work done on that which has brought outcomes. The process will continue.