Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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How do I follow that? I thank the ambassador for his attendance and his presentation.

I have to pick up on the slogan "Make Europe Great Again" because the ambassador was smiling while talking about. He knows what people think of when they read that slogan. They think of Donald Trump. In the context that one of the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency is European defence and improving our resilience and capabilities, one of the biggest concerns at a European level is what a new US President might do in the context of NATO and how that could impact global security. While the slogan may be memorable and a bit playful, if I am being honest, it makes people nervous.

Listening to the ambassador's presentation and the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency, there were a lot of good points and there is certainly a lot of common ground between Ireland and Hungary, particularly on agriculture and taking a farmer-centred approach to agriculture. There is a lot of connectivity between our countries even though, as the ambassador said, we are in different environments and quite far apart geographically. We are all part of the same Union, however.

This is an opportunity for members to speak directly to a representative of Hungary. There have been challenges, if I can put it that way, around the rule of law and Hungary's response to Ukraine. The way that Hungary's leader is interacting at a European Council level presents challenges and there are concerns. There is a level of nervousness with the Hungarian Presidency but I am heartened by the ambassador's comments. He appears to be saying there is an appetite now to deal with some of that "chaos", to use the word the ambassador used in terms of the Rubik's cube, and to try and find harmony, build bridges and look to the future. I take at face value the ambassador's statement that the intention is to work better together and build a stronger, more cohesive Europe. Actions over the course of the coming months will show if that is coming through.

One of the Hungarian Presidency's key priorities is global competitiveness because the EU is not matching up with its international competitors. From my perspective, China continuously undermines the competitiveness of EU companies through its funding of Chinese companies. That is why the incoming Commission President has previously stated there is a risk for the European Union in terms of our dependence on third countries, in particular China. I agree with the ambassador that the EU needs to remain competitive in trade but doing that requires us to support European business and workers and become more resilient in terms of key inputs we need for development, such as precious metals. We have vulnerabilities, one of which was energy. We have come a long way on that because we had to, but there are areas where we need to be able to stand on our own two feet more and not be so reliant on third countries because of the geopolitical situation. Things change rapidly, as we saw only a short few years ago.

On enlargement, the ambassador mentioned the western Balkans. I am interested in hearing directly from him Hungary's position on Ukraine. Obviously, from Ireland's perspective, we are fully supportive of Ukraine becoming a full member of the European Union and we support its accession. We wish Ukraine well in the accession negotiations over the coming years. I would appreciate a clear comment from the ambassador on Hungary's position. Given Prime Minister Orbán's recent visit to Kyiv and the language that came out of that meeting, has there been a change in Hungary's position? I am interested in hearing that.

The migration issue is also a challenge here for Ireland. The migration pact represents the best chance we have of dealing with this in a way that brings all member states together and where the burden is shared. It is a shared challenge. If Hungary has issues with the migration pact, what are they and how does the ambassador see the Hungarian Presidency interacting with that over the course of the next year?

On demographic challenges, I agree with the ambassador on the points he made. We have an ageing population, including in Ireland. How do we deal with that? What ideas does the Hungarian Presidency have as regards demographic pressures?