Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to make some brief remarks on this issue. When this crisis first emerged, the response of the European Union at Commission and Parliament level could hardly have been described as ideal. Pleas for meaningful solidarity on the part of Italy, which was enduring horrendous suffering, were met with bureaucratic resistance and an absence of regulatory flexibility. Fortunately, the pace of the response has picked up somewhat since then, even if many sectors, especially agriculture, remain deeply concerned about its scale and effectiveness.

What I want to see is genuine and constructive engagement with our European partners. No nation is strong enough to weather this storm alone. European solidarity has to become more than a cliché that is trotted out from time to time. If it is to mean anything, it must deliver practical and timely supports. I note that the European Commission is co-ordinating a common European response and taking action to reinforce our public health sectors and mitigate the socio-economic impact in the European Union. This will require mobilising all means at the EU's disposal to help member states to co-ordinate their national responses.

I note the recent submission by the Irish Farmers Association which proposed that the Government and the Commission act swiftly to introduce emergency measures, including using the EU Common Market organisation regulation to support farmers with direct payments for price-related market losses. This will be one of the central concerns as we go forward into 2020 and 2021. The cashflow and liquidity crisis facing Irish farmers and the agrifood sector is absolutely enormous. Only last week I supported the call for a market disruption fund linked to some form of credit guarantee. At present, agricultural SMEs cannot access the credit guarantee scheme due to state aid rules. This needs to be reassessed and resolved urgently. If it means escalating or bringing forward basic payments, then let that happen very quickly because it is needed.

I welcome the European Commission's private storage aid scheme, which is something I have been calling for since early March. However, the EU's response in designating a fairly paltry €80 million to cover the costs of private storage right across the Union is not sufficient. Who signs off on these packages? Surely there must be a sense that to do so is counterproductive in that it allows for uncertainty and unpredictability to remain in the markets? That must be addressed.

In terms of the EU response to the midlands, I would like clarity on what is happening and is going to happen with the just transition strategy. I call on the Taoiseach to ensure that the Mulvey report is published without delay. The wider EU strategy aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

This will require a socioeconomic transformation in regions like the midlands which has historically relied on fossil fuels and carbon intensive industries such as Bord na Móna. Peat extraction is being held hostage by An Bord Pleanála. Its decision to grant Bord na Móna leave to apply for substituted consent was only issued earlier today. I welcome this decision. I believe that common sense has prevailed on this occasion in An Bord Pleanála. Workers, communities and peat harvesting contractors were left in limbo, and that is unacceptable. We need to ensure that peat harvesting is not tied up in uncertainty, with all power in the hands of An Bord Pleanála. The latter needs to change.

We recognise that this is not the time for divisiveness within Europe but we also need to recognise the scale of the challenge and to be ambitious enough to take the steps to meet that challenge and ensure that all sectors are supported.

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