Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have not taken unilateral action in regard to Russia. We are part of an EU decision to impose sanctions because of what has been happening in eastern Ukraine. It is not unilateral action. None of the examples the Deputy outlined in Britain, Norway and the Netherlands involve an embargo being imposed by a government on individual companies or on Israel, as a country. They are examples of countries trying to use pressure points to get change.

Ireland has made strong statements on much of what has happened in Israel and Gaza in recent months and we will continue to do so because we have a strong Government position on those issues. However, what the Deputy is asking me to do is effectively to blacklist companies because of a policy position or a view on those companies. What I am saying is that Ireland generally makes decisions as part of a collective within the EU or the UN in regard to sanctions or embargoes on the basis of a recommendation at multilateral level rather than a unilateral level.

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