Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 24 March and Friday, 25 March in Brussels. This was the third meeting of EU leaders within a month and since Russia's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February. Prior to my attendance at the most recent meeting, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, updated the House on my participation at the other meetings - a special meeting of the European Council on 24 February and an informal meeting of the European Council in Versailles on 10 and 11 March.

The European Council of the 24 and 25 March had a full agenda addressing the most pressing issues facing the Union and our neighbourhood. While our meeting took place in advance of the evidence emerging in recent days of large-scale horrific crimes against civilians, EU leaders have condemned the war since the start as immoral and unjustifiable, and we did so again on 24 March.

We discussed the impact of Russia's aggression from a range of perspectives: humanitarian, migration, energy, nuclear security and safety, and reconstruction. We agreed to establish a Ukraine solidarity trust fund. We discussed security and defence and endorsed the strategic compass. This is a strategy document that will provide enhanced political direction for the Union's approach to security and defence policy for the next five to ten years. We discussed energy, including energy prices, storage, energy security and phasing out dependence on Russian coal, gas and oil.

We agreed conclusions on economic issues, including building a more robust and open economic base, realising the full potential of the Single Market, and food security. We also took stock of developments with Covid-19, including EU co-ordination efforts and global health solidarity and governance, and we discussed the EU's external relations, including the European Union-China Summit, which subsequently took place on 1 April, and the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.We also re-elected Mr. Charles Michel as President of the European Council for a second term ending in November 2024.

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, will address economic issues and external relations in his wrap-up. I will address all other items.

At the start of our meeting, we heard from the President of the European Parliament, Ms Roberta Metsola. She is of the view, with which I agree, that informed hope and belief will help to sustain the people of Ukraine. For this, they need to know that the European Union and the international community are supporting them.President Metsola has since travelled to Kyiv to convey in person a powerful message of solidarity on behalf of the European Parliament to the members of the Ukrainian Parliament.

We also had an exchange of views with the President of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden, which underlined the strength and importance of the transatlantic relationship in the struggle between democracy and autocracy. Our co-operation on issues such as sanctions has already proven to be impactful.

We will continue to work together on a range of other areas from cybersecurity to energy.

President Zelenskyy also joined us via video link. As he did in this House this morning, he called for strengthened EU sanctions, accountability for the perpetrators of unspeakable crimes in Ukraine and an accelerated process to allow Ukraine to join the EU. He has my full support. In the discussion that followed, leaders condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine, which are a gross violation of international law causing appalling loss of life and injury to civilians and destroying the vital infrastructure of a peaceful country. President Putin's regime and its supporters should be in no doubt that justice will rise up and those responsible will be held accountable for their crimes. Leaders also reaffirmed the Versailles declaration, acknowledging the European aspirations and European choice of Ukraine. Just as Ireland has over time made its own informed choices about who we are, our priorities and with whom we align ourselves, so too should Ukraine be able to make its choices.

The EU will continue to provide co-ordinated political, financial, material and humanitarian support. We call on the European Commission to continue to provide technical assistance to Ukraine to undertake the steps necessary to facilitate its path to EU candidate status. Looking to the future, we agreed to develop a Ukraine solidarity trust fund to support the costs of the government of Ukraine, which is continuing to work on behalf of its people despite the immense challenges it faces, and to help support the reconstruction of the country when the time comes. Leaders called on all countries to align with existing sanctions, which are having a massive impact on Russia and Belarus. Ireland stands ready to adopt further robust sanctions with our EU partners and ensure that any attempts to circumvent sanctions or to aid Russia by other means are stamped out.

We also discussed the impact of the conflict on displaced people, refugees and hosting states, especially those on Ukraine's borders. We recognise the need for collective efforts to support and provide for refugees. Irish people moved quickly to provide protection to Ukrainians driven from their homes. It will not be without cost and challenge but it is the right thing to do. Recognising the pressures across the EU, we call for work to be completed on European Commission proposals to support member states in this regard.

I will speak further on the question of energy shortly, but in the context of Ukraine we underlined our commitment to ensuring continuous and uninterrupted electricity and gas flows to the country. The recent synchronisation of Ukrainian and Moldovan electricity grids with the EU's grids is a remarkable achievement and shows that our futures are now interconnected. It is also enormously important that the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities is ensured, including through the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency. This will also remain a focus.

We endorsed the strategic compass. This is a strategy document that will provide enhanced political direction for the EU's approach to security and defence policy for the next five to ten years. Ireland has always engaged constructively in the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, guided by our traditional policy of military neutrality and our contribution to crisis management and peacekeeping. That continues to be the case. We have played an active role in shaping the strategic compass, working to ensure it reflects the core values that underpin our approach to CSDP, including our commitment to the United Nations and the rules-based international order. The text sets out the significant security and defence challenges faced by the EU, including existing and emerging threats, the increasingly contested multipolar world and the strategic implications for the EU. It provides a strategic perspective for the next decade and sets out the tools and initiatives required to enable the EU to act more quickly and decisively when facing crises, to become better equipped to anticipate and mitigate threats, to stimulate investment and innovation to develop our capabilities and technologies, and to deepen cooperation with partners, including the UN, which remains the essential core of international peace and security.

While work began on the strategic compass some months back, the text also reflects the immediate security situation following Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. Different member states have different traditions and approaches in the area of security and defence. This is fully understood and respected by all partners. For Ireland, we are clear that our active participation in CSDP does not prejudice the specific character of our security and defence policy or our obligations.

We held an important discussion on energy issues and reaffirmed the agreement reached in Versailles last month to phase out Europe's dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal imports as soon as possible. This can be achieved by reducing our overall reliance on fossil fuels faster, diversifying supplies and routes, developing an EU hydrogen market, accelerating the development of renewables, and improving the interconnection of European electricity and gas networks.We will also work to reinforce EU contingency planning for security of supply, and enhance energy efficiency and management of energy consumption.

On energy security, work will continue to complete and improve gas and electricity interconnections in Europe. I welcome the agreement whereby member states can opt in to collective purchase arrangements for gas, liquid natural gas, LNG, and hydrogen to secure better prices. The European Commission will work to pool demand by drawing on the collective strength of the EU, which is a model that worked for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. Ahead of next winter, member states will work with the Commission to ensure that gas storage facilities are replenished, helping to mitigate against supply disruption. In his presentation to us at the start of our meeting, President Biden committed to helping Europe with additional LNG supplies. This will see the United States work to ensure the provision of an additional 15 billion cu. m to the EU this year. This energy partnership with the US will help phase out EU fuel dependence on Russia and will also work to support energy-efficiency solutions and the rapid deployment of clean energy technologies.

I am acutely aware of the negative impact high prices are having on households and businesses, especially our vulnerable citizens and SMEs. We looked at various options to cushion the impact. A number of measures aimed at curbing rising energy prices were discussed, drawing on options presented by the Commission. To provide relief to consumers, member states were encouraged to continue to make the best use of the toolbox of measures identified by the Commission, including the application of the state aid temporary crisis framework as a time-limited departure from the status quo, temporary taxation of windfall profits and various direct supports to consumers.

We asked the Commission and member states to urgently assess further short-term options that could help to reduce gas and electricity prices. We discussed how to take work forward on monitoring and optimising the functioning of the electricity market. The findings of the final reports from the EU's Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators and the European Securities and Markets Authority will feed into these deliberations in the coming weeks. The Commission will come forward with a REPowerEU plan in May. It is important that any proposals to address the problem of excessive electricity prices do not have unintended consequences for the integrity of the Single Market, that they maintain incentives for the green transition and, above all, preserve security of supply. Leaders will keep this important matter under regular review.

Covid-19 has been a standing item on the agenda of the European Council and we again took stock of the epidemiological situation across Europe. Our focus was on co-ordinating efforts in response to the pandemic, as well as the strengthening of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. We also welcomed the progress made recently in the World Trade Organization, WTO, concerning the issue of intellectual property rights. While Omicron remains the dominant variant and is highly transmissible, thankfully, it has not caused the same degree of threat as previous variants. Many member states have taken the opportunity to ease restrictions and shorten the isolation and quarantine periods for close contacts. Collectively, it is important to maintain an appropriate level of vigilance against Covid-19, which continues to circulate in our communities.

We also re-elected the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, for a second term ending in November 2024. I congratulated him on his re-election and look forward to continued positive collaboration with him, including at future meetings of the European Council.

We find ourselves at a historic inflection point. European Union leaders are working together in an unprecedented way to leverage our collective economic, strategic and political power and influence to stop Russia's war in Ukraine. We want to see a just end to this war and will continue to apply targeted and increased pressure to bring that about, in partnership with like-minded global partners. Ukraine deserves no less.

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan will address economic issues and external relations in his wrap-up remarks.

Leaders agreed to hold a special meeting of the European Council to follow up on the issues discussed. This will take place in advance of the scheduled meeting the European Council in June. I will continue to report to the House on these discussions.

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