Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to conclude today's debate on the forthcoming meeting of the European Council. As the Taoiseach has mentioned, I will focus my remarks on energy union and climate change.

The European Council is expected to encourage swift delivery of the legislative package needed to advance the energy union project, as endorsed last month by the Union's energy Ministers, and to welcome the historic agreement on climate change reached in Paris last Saturday. I am delighted to welcome the new Paris agreement, which sets the framework for a truly global response to the enormous challenge of climate change and its impact. The European Council is expected to warmly welcome this achievement, particularly France's guiding role in presiding over COP21, to which I add my congratulations.

The Paris agreement, with 196 countries on board, is both ambitious and legally binding. It means that all countries are now in a position to take ambitious action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience. It sends a signal to all actors, the private sector, citizens and civil society that governments are serious about the challenge of global warming and about taking the steps necessary to combat it together. Collectively, we are now committed to keeping the rise in global temperature to well below 2⁰celsius above pre-industrial levels and to keeping the more stringent target of below 1.5⁰in sight. The agreement strengthens the financial and technical supports necessary for the most vulnerable countries and, critically and crucially, through its transparency mechanism, ensures that each country can have confidence in the progress of others.

Ireland's team played a key part within the Union's effective negotiating efforts in Paris.

Next year, within the European Union, we will turn to how each of the 28 member states will contribute to achieving the EU's collective obligation as set out in the EU climate and energy targets for the year 2030. Ireland has been clear and consistent in wanting a fair and achievable target that does not place a disproportionate burden on any one country but allows everyone to play a part.

How energy is sourced, produced, supplied and used is an important part of reaching our global and EU ambitions. This week's European Council is expected to encourage swift implementation of the Commission's energy strategy, as set out in the energy union package. The goal of this package is achieving an energy-resilient Union with a forward-looking climate policy. The strategy seeks to ensure secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy for citizens and businesses, allowing a free flow of energy across borders, with a secure supply in every EU state. To achieve this, the energy union encompasses a wide range of policy areas, including climate, transport, industry, research, the digital economy and agriculture.

Ireland strongly supports the energy union. As a relatively peripheral member state, it is critical for us to diversify the routes and sources of our energy, putting in place appropriate supporting infrastructure. Regional co-operation will assist us in achieving EU-wide market integration and will further contribute to unlocking the full potential of renewables. Under the energy union legislative framework, member states will be required to produce national climate and energy plans by 2019. By definition, these plans will be closely linked with work on achieving the EU's targets for 2030 under the climate and energy framework. In Ireland's case, the recently passed Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill has set work under way on the development of a national mitigation plan and a national adaptation plan. The launch of our new White Paper on energy sets the framework for Ireland's transition to a low-carbon economy and society by 2050, aligning fully with the principles set out in the energy union strategy.

This concludes my statement on the meeting of Heads of State and Government meeting that will begin tomorrow in Brussels.

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