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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 13, inclusive, together.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, travelled to Dublin to meet me on 23 May. I was pleased to host him and his delegation for a working dinner at Farmleigh House. Ireland and the Netherlands are like-minded on a wide range of issues, and we co-operate closely at EU level. Coming ahead of the special meeting of the European Council at the end of May, and its regular meeting in June, my meeting with Prime Minister Rutte was a useful opportunity to discuss current EU and international issues, especially Russia's war on Ukraine, its consequences and our collective response to it; climate action, especially in the field of energy; and the EU's relationship with the UK.

With our EU partners, Ireland and the Netherlands have been steadfast in our outright condemnation of Putin's unprovoked and immoral war on Ukraine. The EU has acted swiftly and with great unity in our political, humanitarian, economic and military response. My discussion with Prime Minister Rutte covered all dimensions of the issue as it stood at that time: the humanitarian situation and the financial supports that will be needed by Ukraine in the immediate and longer terms; and the range and impact of sanctions on Russia. We also touched on Ukraine's application for EU membership in response to which, as the House will be aware, the June European Council granted Ukraine candidate status. We also discussed how to accelerate decarbonisation of our economies and societies, break our dependence on fossil fuels, and provide a more resilient, secure and sustainable energy system for future generations.

I briefed the Prime Minister on Ireland's climate policy approach and on the legislative framework now in place to support achievement of our targets. We also expressed our strong support for the EU Fit for 55 legislative package, on which significant progress has been made by the French Presidency over recent months. We reflected on our respective experiences of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, and on the unprecedented work at EU level on vaccines and the economic recovery package, Next Generation EU. I also briefed the Prime Minister on developments in Northern Ireland and on the protocol. Prime Minister Rutte reaffirmed his very strong solidarity with Ireland, and his support for the work of the European Commission in seeking to find practical solutions to problems that have arisen in implementing the protocol. I took the opportunity to convey my thanks to the Prime Minister for his country's solidarity and support. The Prime Minister and I will continue to work closely together, bilaterally and in the European Council.

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