Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My question is linked to the previous one. At the time of the imposition of the ban, Russia was the second most important destination for agrifood exports from the EU which were valued at some €12 billion in 2013. Almost half of this trade is subject to the ban. These sanctions highlight the partisan and hypocritical nature of the international sanctions regime. Highly politicised sanctions are being used in a situation which the EU and the US played a central role in escalating. Is Ireland vocal in its support for these sanctions, do we oppose them or do we stay silent on these matters? In 2014, Ireland had exports to Russia which were worth €722 million but in 2016 that had dropped to €364 million.

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