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

The sanctions to which the Deputy refers were introduced when I was Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We had been planning a huge trade mission to Russia that we had to cancel because of their introduction. In that context, I am very clear on the impact of the sanctions but that does not mean that imposing them was not the right thing to do.

In 2014 the EU imposed targeted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation in response to its actions in undermining the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The duration of these sanctions is linked to the complete implementation of the Minsk peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has cost over 10,000 lives, forced 1.6 million to flee their homes and created a humanitarian crisis which has left an estimated 3.4 million people in need of assistance and protection. Any relaxation of the restrictive measures can only be considered when there is clear evidence of concrete progress on the ground in eastern Ukraine. The lack of progress on the implementation of the Minsk deal and Russia’s failure to rein in the separatists provide a clear and continuing basis for keeping the measures in place. In December, the European Council agreed to a further roll-over of the sanctions to 31 July 2018 and Ireland fully supports this decision.

The restrictive measures have impacted on trade between Russia and the EU. In Ireland’s case, the direct effect has been minimal as the majority of goods and services we export to Russia are not covered by the EU restrictions. On the other hand, the economic downturn in Russia and the Russian countermeasures introduced in 2014 to ban a range of EU agrifood exports have had a negative impact on our bilateral trade. However, after falling sharply in 2015 and registering a small increase in 2016, I am pleased to note that two way trade with Russia rebounded significantly last year, with exports expected to reach around €470 million, an increase of €120 million on the previous year.

This is an EU collective position. If the European Union is going to be effective in the context of international politics, its members must act together. Otherwise, our position is substantially weakened. If Ireland is going to have an impact on big international crises, the way to do that is try to influence the collective approach of the EU. Ireland on its own is not going to be able to do much heavy lifting.

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