Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador for being here. It is interesting and welcome to hear the outline of his agenda and Sweden's programme for the Presidency. I have three areas I want to focus on. The ambassador spoke about security as being the first area, both internal and external, and he referenced Russia. What is Mr. Rydén's view and what is the view of his country on sanctions against Russia and the disparity of application of those sanctions across member states? Some member states are doing a lot more than others and that is breeding resentment across member states. Does he have any views on how that should be addressed?

My second question is around the ambassador's comments surrounding an ambitious free trade agenda. There will always be conflicting views on that because it is a trade-off. When you enter into a free trade agreement with another country, a third party, it wants something in return. Where does Mr. Rydén foresee the challenges in that? I specifically reference the area of food and agriculture. We have particular concerns in Ireland around a free trade agreement with countries where agricultural standards are not as high as they are here. We would certainly not want the EU market to be flooded with produce that is not produced to the same level as it is in Ireland, to the disadvantage of our farmers and agricultural community.

Why has Sweden omitted the issue of migration from its agenda for this year? It is the key issue and the elephant in the room. It is the top challenge for every single member state, not just flowing from the war in Ukraine but from other conflicts around the globe and from climate change. It is the most contentious issue at an EU level and I wonder if it has been left off the agenda on purpose because it is so challenging. It is something that might prompt reflection because it should be included as an issue to be addressed by the Presidency.