Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think I was very clear in my response to Deputy Howlin that once the tweet was issued, the Irish Government immediately responded to the Commission to clarify the remarks. We are very clear that this was a unilateral response. It is not how the Commission operates.

It is not how the Foreign Affairs Council takes decisions by qualified majority voting in allocating funding such as this. We made that very clear. It is very important to reflect on the statement High Representative Borrell made yesterday, which I would argue is a very strong one, following his meeting with the members of the Foreign Affairs Council. He underscored the fact that more aid and more support are needed in such a region because what could happen in the coming days is unthinkable and very concerning for the international community.