Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

President von der Leyen is someone we work very closely with, and we particularly did so during Brexit and she was extremely helpful to us. The delineation of European foreign policy is in the Treaty on European Union. The High Representative, which is Ms Kaja Kallas, is the person who conducts the Union's foreign policy. She represents the Union on the Common Foreign and Security Policy. She is also a Vice President of the Commission, and Ursula von der Leyen is President of the Commission, which includes her. Ms Kallas presides over the Foreign Affairs Council, FAC, and tries to represent what the FAC and the 27 member states are saying. She is the representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The President of the Commission, Ms von der Leyen, does speak on Common Foreign and Security Policy matters but through the framework of what her existing Council has concluded. President von der Leyen talks about foreign policy but her framework is what has already been decided by the leaders and by the Foreign Affairs Council, or as part of the Commission's broader competences in external relations, particularly in areas like trade, for example. She has to speak freely on that because that is a competence of the EU. The institutional balance that is established makes sure that what she is saying on foreign policy is and should be consistent with what the European Council and the Council of Ministers have agreed.

We actively engage in the Foreign Affairs Council and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. We might not agree with every other member state. We will never get everybody to agree exactly on positions, and countries have different positions on different issues, as we know, but that is a reason for us to be involved and at the table. We could be sitting out there on our own, as some people would have us do. I have noticed the subtle criticism about the EU coming back, and I am not accusing the Deputy of that. Some people would rather we were outside of it, but the reality is we have significantly more sovereignty and power by being at that table and influencing the decisions that are taken. Does the Deputy think the EU-Israel association agreement would be reviewed if Ireland was not providing the leadership? Possibly not. Ireland and Spain are among the countries that decided to do that.

That is the exact position on President von der Leyen and we have regular engagement with her, particularly at Taoiseach level, on what the European Union should do. It is a very helpful forum because we are part of the European Union. The European Union is not Ursula von der Leyen. It is not the Commission, and it is not Brussels or Luxembourg. It is all of us. The European Union is here today. We are part of it. The members are part of a system that can legislate, that sends Commissioners over, elects Governments that go to the Council and votes for MEPs. We are all part of that, and President von der Leyen is part of that as well, but she is only part of it.