Ms Noelle O'Connell:

I thank the Deputy. In terms of Ukraine, if I can start with that one, that was certainly one of concern. The Deputy is correct in that it is something that has been mentioned to us and picked up on at a Brussels level. This particularly finding was remarked on. Is there an element of concern in terms of fatigue? We are in the third year of the war and the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine. How is it going to be resolved? What does that look like? As the Deputy said, the EU was remarkably cohesive, unified and consistent in its response and its approach to that. It is something that we have remarked upon, that comparison with Israel-Gaza, and the fact that the levels have dropped is certainly something of concern. I would suggest members of the committee scan the QR code on the poll to get the full gender, demographic and regional breakdown. I would encourage members to look at the minutiae of that.

In terms of populism and the far right, it is concerning. Some of the work that we are seeing on misinformation and disinformation and some of the sentiments and the views coming across are things that we would not have seen previously. We would not have seen the levels of physical threat and potential disruption. These are my third European Parliament elections, going around the country, encouraging people to vote and having non-partisan candidate debates. We are one of the NGOs that tries to provide an opportunity for all candidates to engage and discuss. These are probably the most challenging European Parliament elections in terms of the polarisation of public discourse and debate and dialogue. I do not think I need to expand on that any further to the committee because they are far more familiar and indeed probably subjected to it more than what we would see.

More broadly Deputy Haughey, in terms of the far right across the EU, it is interesting when we talk to some of our colleagues and counterparts across the different European movement councils and the different EU member states. The challenges they face are a salutary reminder to me and to all of us here in European Movement Ireland of some of the challenges we face. Recently, our European Movement International issued a very public call regarding the undermining of a free and democratic press in Italy. Italy was one of the founding member states of the EU.

Those challenges are certainly there. We saw the horrific assassination attempt on Prime Minister Fico, but also how pro-European civil society organisations face a challenge and a struggle in member states in terms of promoting an active and participatory democracy. That challenge is there and all the polls are showing a rise in the far right in the likely composition and make up of the next parliament. That will definitely lead to an erosion of that consensus building and trying to get an effective, efficient and functioning European Parliament and that interlinkage with the European Commission. I think these elections are going to be really challenging in that regard.