Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I wish to focus on fortress Europe. There will be much criticism of the role of the EU from the radical left on this side of the House, and there will be much defence of that shameful role from the other parties. "Fortress Europe" is a colloquial term which basically means that Europe has been designed to make the journey to Europe as difficult as possible for people fleeing war, famine and persecution.

I will first respond to the acting Tánaiste's remarks about the European Union not being able to do speed and rapid reaction. That is nonsense. The European Union has done a €6 billion deal with one of the most shameful countries in the region, Turkey, which has a record not just of torturing immigrants but also of forcibly sending them back to Afghanistan and Syria. Indeed, it has shot Syrian refugees on the border. Europe does not do anything with speed or rapidity, but it spends a great deal of money on selling out the refugees. What I heard from the acting Tánaiste is really just an apology for the shameful record of the European Union.

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