Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

It is a pleasure to have the ambassador here and to engage on the next EU Presidency, which comes at a challenging time. We in Ireland will be watching closely because we will be taking over afterwards.

I thank the ambassador for his comprehensive statement. It is good to see the two priorities he has outlined.

I will put three questions to him. He talked about advancing the EU’s green transition, which is important, and looking at energy, transport and agriculture in particular. We in Ireland have a very agriculture-based economy and have a concern about supporting our farmers and our farming industries. I wish to ask about the negotiation of the next CAP and the multi-annual financial framework, on which work will be ongoing through the Presidency, and the ambassador's views on same. For Ireland, it is clear that we want a simplification of CAP and a more straightforward version with practical and pragmatic measures. We would like to see greater flexibility so that different countries, such as our own, will be able to adapt according to our national needs. We would also like to see a sustainable balance between economic, environmental and social measures, ensuring they are brought into the context. We would like to see active farmers rewarded. By that, I mean those who are active, working on the ground.

My second question is about specific initiatives proposed through the Danish Presidency that would strengthen EU competitiveness in the face of the global economic shifts.

My third question goes back to issues in the Middle East. The two-state solution between Israel and Palestine that the ambassador supports is very important. It is an initiative that one of our former Members, who was then a Minister and Tánaiste, Brian Lenihan, was the first to suggest. It is good to see people coming towards that. I appreciate that the ambassador is representing his country here, but how does Denmark reconcile the stated commitment to international humanitarian law and to working towards de-escalation in the Middle East while still sending arms to Israel?