Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le gach Teachta a bhí ag labhairt agus ag cur isteach sa díospóireacht. Bhí pointí an-tábhachtacha déanta maidir leis an Eorap agus maidir leis an tír seo. Táim buíoch do na Teachtaí a rinne cur síos ar roinnt de na ceisteanna tábhachtacha a bhaineann le caidreamh seachtrach na hEorpa, ceist a pléadh ag an gcruinniú speisialta de Chomhairle na hEorpa sa Bhruiséil an tseachtain seo caite nó a bheidh ar an gclár ag an gcruinniú de Chomhairle na hEorpa an tseachtain seo chugainn. As the Taoiseach indicated last week, the European Council held a number of discussions.

He has asked me to outline the situation on EU-China relations, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the attempted assassination of Mr. Alexei Navalny. I will briefly report on these matters and also discuss the issues of the EU and the African Union. If I have time, I will go through some of the issues that were raised by Members.

A planned EU-China summit in September was postponed in view of the Covid-19 situation. At last week's European Council, leaders were briefed on a meeting held by video conference in place of the planned summit on 14 September between President Michel, President von der Leyen and Chancellor Merkel on the EU side, with Chancellor Merkel there on behalf of the German Presidency, and President Xi Jinping on the Chinese side.

In the discussion that followed, EU leaders emphasised the need to rebalance the economic relationship between the EU and China. They also emphasised the goal of finalising negotiations on an ambitious EU-China comprehensive investment agreement by the end this year to address outstanding market access and level playing field issues that exist on various trading fronts.

The European Council called on China to assume greater responsibility in dealing with global challenges, notably by taking more ambitious action on climate change, on supporting a multilateral response to Covid-19 and on debt relief with a particular focus on Africa. Leaders also expressed their serious concerns about the human rights situation in China, which was also raised by the EU side at the meeting on 14 September. Leaders at the European Council reaffirmed the EU's policy towards China and look forward to a meeting of all 27 leaders with President Xi next year.

The European Council discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan had escalated in the days before the meeting. Leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for both Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in substantial discussions without precondition.

The European Council condemned the assassination attempt on Mr. Alexei Navalny with a chemical nerve agent from the novichok group. They called on the Russian authorities to co-operate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, OPCW, investigating this case. The European Council will return to this matter next week following the release an OPCW report. The matter is likely to form part of a wider discussion at the meeting on relations between the EU and Russia.

Next week, the European Council will hold a strategic discussion on relations between the EU and the African Union. This is crucially important. This discussion was originally planned for the European Council in June of this year ahead of a summit between all 27 EU leaders and the African Union leaders at the end of October. This summit has also been postponed but it is welcome that leaders will take the opportunity next week to discuss the EU's approach to Africa and the importance of strengthening relations between the EU and Africa. The key strategic objective of the Government's new Africa strategy is to actively promote and contribute to a more effective EU-Africa partnership.

The European Council may also discuss other topical external relations issues at the meeting next week. Preparations for next week's meeting are ongoing and will be finalised at the General Affairs Council which I will attend in Luxembourg next week and the Taoiseach and I will report to the House following the European Council.

I will deal with some of the issues raised by Members. I thank Deputy Cian O'Callaghan for his comments on the multi-annual financial framework and the strong rule-of-law mechanism that is needed. That is important. The issue of Poland and Hungary is obviously important but there are other issues in Poland. I assure Deputy O'Callaghan and the House that I had a bilateral meeting with my Polish counterpart and subsequently wrote to him specifically on rule-of-law issues. Poland should be and is a long-standing friend of Ireland. We are a country with warm relations with Poland. As friends, we can say that we look at what is happening at the moment in Poland with confusion. People simply cannot understand this is happening in the European Union and I urge Poland to look at what is happening. I do so as a friend and do that to Poland as a country that has given us huge support and solidarity in the Brexit process. I was glad to express our thanks to Poland for that at the General Affairs Council.

The issue of Belarus has been mentioned and I am aware the Taoiseach discussed that.

Deputy Carthy from Sinn Féin somehow blamed the Government with regard to the uncertainty on the European budget. Through the Taoiseach in the summer, however, the Government agreed the budget for the European Union, including the agricultural budget, for the next seven years. However, that must be approved democratically by the Parliament. Negotiations are continuing with the European Parliament and it is looking for a much stronger recognition of rule-of-law issues. As I understand it, the Sinn Féin Member of the European Parliament has signed up to a common position of the European Parliament on this issue. Those negotiations obviously take time. We hope they will conclude and I have no doubt we will be ready for what will be a massive financial package, not just to Irish farmers but to the broader EU, which then benefits us a small trading open economy. If we have a strong Europe economically, our businesses and jobs will benefit.

I thank Deputy O'Connor for his thoughtful at contribution. He will be glad to know the issue of the conference on the future of Europe is very much on the agenda and I will take on board his points when we come to discuss that matter. When that conference is set up, Deputy O'Connor and his constituents will have a huge opportunity to partake in that. I certainly will encourage people to do that when it happens.

The issue of ferries was brought up. I visited Dublin Port this morning and we want to make sure we are ready. The issue with shipping is that it is flexible. It is not like a train line which goes from point to point and cannot be easily moved. Routes are changing all the time and new routes have been added, allowing Ireland to trade directly with the continent. That is happening already and I have no doubt more will happen. I am not certain that a public service obligation, PSO, subsidy is needed. I believe the market will react but, obviously, the Government keeps these things under review at all times.

This morning, for example, I was able to visit a roll-on roll-off ferry that travels between Ireland and Portugal providing options that were not there before and it seems to suit quite a number of companies. It was interesting to see the trading goods coming off that ferry this morning in Dublin Port. I thank all our ports around the country for the work they are doing supported, obviously, by the Office of Public Works, OPW, the Revenue Commissioners and, particularly, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

As for Deputy Tóibín's comments, I believe Deputy Richmond summed it up quite well. Deputy Tóibín criticised Ireland for this mad proposal that we did not break off diplomatic relations on the one hand and he praised the European Commission for its tough approach to Britain on the other. The European Commission acts on behalf of every member state of the European Union. It is acting on our behalf. That is what the agreement is with. By publishing the Internal Market Bill and progressing it through the House of Commons, the United Kingdom is breaking an agreement with the European Union, which is all 27 members. Therefore, the European Commission takes legal action on our behalf and it is doing so. In praising the European Union for its action and in criticising the Irish Government for its alleged inaction, as outlined by Deputy Tóibín, the Deputy shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the European Union works. I have no difficulty in asking officials to discuss these issues in future with the Deputy if he needs to, because it is important we all have a good understanding of it.

The idea, however, that we would break off diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom at this particular moment or at any moment is completely mad, to put it mildly. It is absolutely essential for us to maintain the Good Friday Agreement to which Britain, of course, is a party and that we maintain diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom and use our relations to influence them, to talk to them, speak honestly to them and be angry with them from time to time. When one breaks off diplomatic relations, however, one does not have that connection or those relationships. I am not even sure of the status of international agreements, when one breaks off diplomatic relations, such as the Good Friday Agreement. Therefore, it is for the sake of the Good Friday Agreement. I have said before that the agreement seeks to keep and maintain good relations between the communities in the North, to maintain good relations North and South and to maintain good relations between Britain and Ireland. Deputy Tóibín's position of seeking to break off diplomatic relations with Britain would, effectively, nullify the intention and purpose of the Good Friday Agreement. Those three sets of relationships are key to maintaining peace on this island and key also to maintaining the allowance of the people of Northern Ireland to control their own destinies. That is important.

I wish to thank our diplomats for the work they do. We have read histories of what our diplomats have done over the years and history is repeating itself in terms of the good work they are doing in building up relations with key people, particularly, in the United Kingdom at this time. We will probably read the history of that in years to come. However, that work is ongoing. We do not need to do as Deputy Tóibín proposes and I am not sure anybody else in this House will take that proposal seriously.

Make no mistake a Cheann Comhairle, the action taken by the European Commission on our behalf against the United Kingdom is absolutely necessary because what the United Kingdom did was completely wrong with regard to the Internal Market Bill. That process will continue but we can take that hard line. We can be angry with Britain and express it clearly, as the Taoiseach did to Boris Johnson while maintaining diplomatic relations, which are essential for all our futures on these two islands.

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