Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador. I agree with his comments about having a bigger picture, longer term view. We should apply the same thinking to Brexit and not rise to the bait. The EU has to be the adult in the room. Matters are playing out domestically in the UK. One could be forgiven for wanting to throw in the towel, because it is challenging. Maroš Šefovi has done a good job. He has been patient, as has the EU, as have we in Ireland. We have to find a way forward that is agreeable to the UK as well as the EU, so that nobody feels like they have won or lost. There are concerns in some quarters in Ireland that there is such growing frustration on the Continent that there is a temptation to retaliate or to regress from our adult-like position. We should be conscious to not do that, as tempting as it might be. That is my only comment on Brexit. It has been dealt with well. We are on the same page with regard to our views on that legislation.

It is unbelievable and remarkable that we are discussing the UK breaching international law. I agree that the legislation published does exactly that. No matter how it is spun or interpreted on the other side, it is disappointing, to say the least, that the dispute resolution mechanisms within the withdrawal agreement and treaty are not utilised, because they were intended to deal with these conflicts and disagreements, which were expected to take place. We knew we would have disagreements and we will again at some point in the future. It is important to use the dispute resolution mechanisms built into the agreement to deal with those so that no side goes off to do its own thing, for want of a better phrase.

We had reports in our country discussing the docking of two Russian ships in our ports to deliver grain and fertiliser under a derogation of the sanctions, which are supposed to not allow these ships to dock, but we can use those derogations where there is a necessity under the principle that we should not seek to do more harm to ourselves than we are doing to Russia, which I understand. It brings into question the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. The intention behind the CAP was to have a level of self-sufficiency and to have access to good quality, sustainably produced food that is as carbon neutral as possible. It suggests we have not done a great job on that front if we find that we still have to import grain and fertiliser because of our over-reliance on Ukraine and Russia. I am not disagreeing with the ships coming in. It was a necessity to not create bigger problems for ourselves further down the track. We need to have a conversation at EU level about the Common Agricultural Policy and what we need to change to encourage our farmers, which we are trying to do domestically. Our Minister announced €56 million to deal with that issue, to try to encourage farmers to grow more grain. That needs to happen across the Continent. The CAP is the way to achieve it. I would welcome the ambassador's comments on that. It is the same as the problem with microchips, but with a different product that is even more vital. Food is a necessity.

I am probably straying a little. I think this issue concerns Ireland because we all share the same values of human rights, protection of refugees, how we treat them and the dignity that we treat human beings with. What are the ambassador's views on the UK's policy on Rwanda? My view is that it is disgusting, disgraceful and abhorrent. It breaches the European Convention on Human Rights. It flies in the face of human decency and dignity. It clearly breaches the UN Refugee Convention. There have been allegations in the UK, some quite direct and other more nuanced, that the French are to blame. They say people are travelling from France to the UK and ask what the French authorities are doing about it. I do not agree with that narrative. That is clever spin they are putting on it to sell it domestically and say that whatever problems are happening domestically, somebody else is creating them. The latter seems to be the modus operandiof the UK Government. It is deeply concerning to all who hold those values close that the intention is to put people on planes and send them to Africa to be dealt with. It is a disgraceful policy. I welcome the ambassador's comments on how France is dealing with that and about his engagements with the UK. Does he see a path to address that from an EU and from a French perspective?