Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Seán Crowe, who cannot be with us here today. In stark contrast to the statements of the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and the leader of Fianna Fáil, I echo the words of my colleague, an Teachta Adams, commending the actions of Syriza in upholding the principles of democracy by holding a referendum on the so-called offer of the EU institutions. It is appropriate in the cradle of democracy that Syriza is standing up for democracy in the face of increasing pressure from EU institutions which are holding Greece and the people of Greece to ransom. Shamefully, the Irish Government, aided and abetted by Fianna Fáil, is supporting the twisted ideological position of the institutions which are working against the interests of the people of Greece, Ireland and Europe. We are witnessing the EU power brokers, money men and compliant or complicit political leaders beginning the process of shaping political representation to their preferred vision or form of democracy by diktat. While this European Council meeting was largely overshadowed by economic issues, it also focused on issues concerning migration and the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean.

I also pay tribute to crew of the LE Eithnewho continue to save lives and rescue migrants in serious trouble in the Mediterranean. Last weekend the LE Eithne and her crew rescued 593 migrants from six separate inflatable vessels off the coast of Libya, bringing the total number of people rescued by the crew of the LE Eithne to almost 3,000. The crew of the LE Eithneare a credit to their country and I state my, and Sinn Féin's, appreciation of their outstanding work. The number of migrants they have rescued puts into stark contrast the huge need for search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean.

The EU, however, refuses to tackle the issue with the solidarity and humanity it deserves. According to reports, the debate on creating a compulsory quota system to resettle migrants landing in Greece and Italy around the EU was incredibly fractious. Last Monday the EUNAVFOR Med military mission to crack down on migrants was launched to great fanfare and eloquent speeches from EU officials, yet by Thursday member states were fighting a bitter battle over a relatively modest scheme to share the intake of 60,000 migrants between them over two years. That tells us all we need to know about the current state of the European Union. Why is the EU so happy to treat a humanitarian crisis as a security issue? Why can it easily unite on military action but not respond when humanitarian assistance is so badly needed? It is galling that a humanitarian emergency involving the resettlement of a limited number of human beings fleeing war, poverty, oppression, and hunger has brought the whole Schengen Agreement into question.

When countries lined up to tell Italy they would take no part in a compulsory resettlement programme and that they would ignore the issue as their geographic location allowed them to do so, the Italian Prime Minister reportedly stated: "If this is your idea of Europe, you can keep it." I hope the Taoiseach ensured Ireland fully supported the humanitarian option and argued in favour of fair resettlement. Did he do so?

While the programme is not compulsory, we should not be waiting for a compulsory programme to increase the number of refugees Ireland is accepting. We are in the midst of a huge variety of simultaneous humanitarian crises that have ensured 80 million people are currently displaced and hundreds of thousands are risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean.

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It is the current so-called fortress Europe mentality that has made it virtually impossible for refugees to enter the EU by any other way than by paying their life savings to human traffickers and risking their lives on flimsy boats in the Mediterranean.

I note the Council meeting concluded that development aid will be used to stop migrants. Big walls and inflated military budgets is what we are talking about when what we really need is for European countries to improve their aid and trade policies. As Dóchas said: "The EU should increase investment in inclusive development, decent work and social protection in countries of origin so that migration becomes an option - not a necessity." The Council meeting even finished with a discussion on defence. While EU leaders were uniting to kick the Greek Government and people for opposing austerity, and while the EU is raising inequality and deprivation due to austerity, it was agreed to develop the EU's military capabilities further and strengthen Europe's defence industry.

I find it surprising that no one pointed out the link between the EU's foreign affairs and defence policies and the conflicts and poverty forcing migrants to flee to Europe, or between NATO's role in Libya and the current migrant crisis, or between calling for cuts in social spending in Europe and increased military spending. Is it any wonder the EU is facing multiple crises? Equally, is it any wonder the people in Ireland, Greece and other EU states are asking if this is an EU where the bankers, the money men and the military and political elites are too big to fail and the people are too small to matter? In stark contrast to the humanity of those on the LE Eithne, clearly, concepts such as humanity and democracy are alien in today's EU institutions.

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