Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for, as ever, a fulsome report on a lengthy meeting of the European Council that covered a range of topics. I will address just some of those topics as it is simply impossible to address them all in the time allotted.

Like Deputies Howlin and Brady, I refer to the situation in Poland and the continuing crisis in the context of the rule of law. During statements prior to the European Council meeting, I commended the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, on his very strong comments on the margins of the General Affairs Council, where he rightly criticised the current actions of the Polish Government to undermine the rule of law in Poland and threaten the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and the whole premise of European law throughout the Continent. I stand by those comments and I reissue the challenge to both the Minister and the Taoiseach that this cannot be allowed to slide. To be frank, following the Council meeting I was quite disappointed in the decision taken by the leaders, which was a little too pedestrian in the context of dealing with the Polish Government.

As Deputy Howlin rightly stated, the comments by the Polish Prime Minister on the floor of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the decision for him to meet with Marine Le Pen, the leader of authoritarian right-wing fascism in Europe at the moment, were a direct snub to all the other leaders across the European Union and, quite frankly, a snub to the tens of thousands of Polish people who in recent weeks have taken to the streets to reaffirm their continuing commitment not just to Poland's membership of the European Union but also to its requirement to abide by the rules of the European Union for which all present are so grateful. We only have to look to the country that has just left the EU or to other countries in the European neighbourhood to realise how much better they would have it if they were within the European Union. It is a really risky game of domestic political populism that is under way in Poland and we raise it in this Chamber because it is our duty to do so in the context of discussing European Council matters and as European citizens.

It is also a telling lesson to every single one of us in this Chamber about how the tolerance of latent casual Euroscepticism can grow and manifest into something much more worrying, as we are seeing across central and, indeed, parts of eastern Europe at the moment, most pronouncedly in Poland and Hungary. I repeat my challenge to the Minister of State to take this up at the next meeting of the General Affairs Council and essentially, to keep up the good work. I ask him not to let it slide and be pushed on because it is an uncomfortable conversation to have. It is vitally important not just to the millions of people in Poland, but to the millions of European citizens in this jurisdiction, too.

One of the key areas that I also raised prior to the European Council meeting concerned trade policy, to which the Taoiseach referred in his report, and which got an element of coverage. It is vital that we remind ourselves of the importance of European trade deals to us, and our requirement to engage proactively. I am referring specifically to CETA and the fact that it needs to become before this House for ratification. I urge the Government to bring it forward in a swift manner to allow us to have a fulsome debate in this Chamber, as we have already done in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, and crucially, for this House to pass the agreement as quickly as possible.

A second ongoing trade agreement, namely, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, TCA, continues to present a number of difficulties, not just for this jurisdiction but for all EU member states. It is really dispiriting to look on at British domestic politics at the moment, all the various things that are going on, and the outworkings of the terrible decision that was Brexit. That can be seen in the fact that raw sewage is being pumped into waterways, carcasses are now being exported to the EU because there are not enough butchers in abattoirs to process them, there are not enough HGV drivers, forecourts have run dry, and a multitude of negative impacts of Brexit are felt daily. Crucially, in light of the responsibilities that the British Government has to EU member states, and particularly, to this member state, through the TCA and indeed, the withdrawal agreement, it is vitally important that this Government works with European partners to hold the British Government to account to ensure that it fulfils its obligations to those agreements and that the EU is not taken for a ride. We are seeing it constantly. We are seeing the bad faith on display in the British media, newspapers and parliament, in the margins. We cannot allow for the EU to continue to be the punchbag for a British Government, that, whenever it has difficulty domestically, will pick a row with the French, will give out about the protocol or will find one of many reasons to relive the debate that happened in the lead-up to the Brexit referendum.

One of the key issues that was addressed at the European Council meeting was that of vaccine hesitancy. On our own front, we have all talked widely about the pride we have in the vaccine take-up numbers in this jurisdiction, particularly in comparison with eastern European states, and how it has ensured we are weathering the pandemic in a much better place than we would have been previously. However, it is remarkable that in the last five days alone, 95,000 first-dose vaccines have been administered in this jurisdiction. That just shows that we can never be finished with dealing with vaccine hesitancy in this jurisdiction and across the EU. We are dealing with the battle against Covid-19 and many other illnesses and viruses. It is something twofold that is going to require a continued level of work in the EU. Is there going to be European-wide agreement in relation to booster shots? We have seen changes in this jurisdiction. We have already seen the UK go much further on booster shots. We must look at the role that vaccine passports will play in terms of accessing services and hospitality and in ensuring that society can continue to move along and we can continue to live with Covid and not regress to bringing in more restrictions. If it is feasible, I ask the Minister of State, in his reply, to outline the extent to which that ongoing co-ordination is happening. We know that health is not a European competence, but EU member states can co-operate with one another, as we are seeing at the moment in north-eastern Europe, where a number of member states have come together to provide ventilators and PPE for European member states that are struggling. We have seen doctors and nurses move across jurisdictions to target Covid infection black spots. When we work together as a union, it makes it a lot easier for people to deal with the real impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am aware that most Members have already referred to the last area that I want to mention briefly, and indeed, there is wider and much more detailed discussion on it. I know that my Government colleague, Deputy Leddin, will be referring to it. It concerns the ongoing energy price crisis, and the wider debate on the climate emergency. I welcome the comments made by the Taoiseach yesterday at COP26, and the fact that he reaffirmed them in this Chamber today. However, it is an area in which, as a small island nation, our ability to co-operate with 26 other member states in dealing with the greatest challenge that the planet has ever faced, in terms of the climate emergency, is so vitally important. We must focus on where European institutions can lead and where Ireland can lead within the EU. If the EU tackles the issue, it will provide a lesson to countries around the world.

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