Ms Attracta Uí Bhroin:

There is a first for everything if she is anything like me; I never listen to my husband.

There are understandable concerns about the impact of migration, particularly in the context of the challenges we have in providing homes for people. There are very real concerns. What we need to do is provide a uniting hook that will bring together those rooted in fear and anger and those seeking hope. We need a framework for the SDGs. Let us face it; it is very hard to get your head around the 17 SDGs, even for nerds like us. We all have our pet ones. We can all relate to certain ones better than others. We need a framework that works in the context of what we know with regard to how we invest, how we manage our fiscal rules and how we implement legislation. These are things we do over again on other things.

We need a fourth agenda. I would disagree with one thing Mr. Andrews said, with regard to this being for the next Commission. These next weeks and this next month are critical. We need to up the ante to make the EU the type of EU we want it to be, claim it back and make sure it does not slide. That is the agenda we need from people, such as the members of this committee, to really reach out with an agenda and manifesto of hope in the context of the discussions we will be having on these very important elections for the EU.

More than anything, we need to include the Taoiseach. We need to ask him to do the type of advocacy Ireland does best through proactive engagement, and ask him to advocate and promote very loudly having a further agenda on building a climate-neutral, nature-positive, fair and social Europe containing the necessary commitment to deliver on our international climate and environmental agreements in a just and social transition. We need a framework. Right now, we have an amorphous agenda of defend and lock down.

We cannot hope to stem the tide of the absolute catastrophe there will be if we do not address the ultimate ambition and objectives of the SDGs. We cannot stem that tide. It is an agenda which unites those who are rooted in fear and anger and those of us who want to cling to hope and for our future, not just for future generations but indeed for us. In Europe we will face food shortages, droughts and deaths from issues with air quality and heat temperatures. This is happening right now. This is a critical window. We cannot wait until after the election. We have to really fight for the strategic agenda and to mobilise and alert the electorate, not just in Ireland but across Europe.