Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed both Houses last week to mark our 50 years as members of the EU. I suggest, therefore, this is a good time to assess how the EU has performed over the past two and a half years since this Government came to office. During this time, the EU faced unprecedented challenges. In February 2020, Covid-19 arrived. This year, we had Russian's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine and all the associated problems that gave rise to. Of course, of importance to Ireland was the continued fallout from the Brexit vote in 2016, in particular, the need to avoid the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland through the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol.

On reflection, the EU did surprisingly well in responding to these crises. It cannot be easy to get agreement from all 27 member states, all with their different agendas, but agreements were reached and the EU came up with effective responses. As regards Covid-19, after an initial wobble, the Union was to the forefront in the development, manufacture and deployment of safe, effective vaccines. The EU digital Covid certificate was enacted and the recovery and resilience fund, unprecedented in its scope and design, was established to stimulate the economic recovery of Europe. The EU remains firm in its solidarity with Ukraine. An eighth round of sanctions has been agreed, along with many other measures, including agreed actions to tackle the energy crisis. The solidarity shown to Ireland concerning Brexit has been extraordinary. In all these discussions, Ireland has been at the heart of the negotiations and showed strong leadership, which, it seems, has been noted by the Commission President.

The ongoing war in Ukraine becomes more horrific by the day. So far, it is estimated that up to 250,000 people have been killed. Of this, between 40,000 and 60,000 are believed to be civilians. Those figures were given to the House last week by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney. As winter snow and sub-zero temperatures arrive, fighting is now concentrated around the Donetsk region. Much of the country has been plunged into darkness as power plants and critical infrastructure are destroyed by Russian missile strikes. The EU, the G7 and Australia have agreed to cap the price of a barrel of Russian oil delivered by sea at $60. This is an attempt to hinder Russia's ability to pay for the war. It could also stabilise global energy prices. President Zelenskyy believes this is not enough. As we know, other member states have looked for a lower cap. It is, however, a start and something that should be kept under review and revisited as necessary. There is no doubt that war crimes are being committed by Russia in Ukraine and, therefore, I greatly welcome the proposal by the EU to set up a specialised court, backed by the UN, to investigate and prosecute Russia's crimes of aggression. I look forward to learning more details about this initiative in due course.

There have been eight rounds of EU sanctions so far. I am delighted to hear from the Taoiseach that a ninth round, it is to be hoped, will be agreed upon before next week. More than 100 entities and 1,200 individuals have been sanctioned. The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, recently told our Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs that Ireland is among the member states with the highest value of frozen assets, amounting to €1.8 billion. These frozen assets, from Russia and its oligarchs, should be used for the benefit of Ukraine to reconstruct the country. It is estimated that the damage done to date to Ukraine amounts to €600 billion. According to the Commission, a number of legal and political questions arise in this regard but it is essential that every effort is made to resolve any perceived obstacles to achieve this objective.

Staying with Ukraine, it is regrettable that Hungary has again used the veto, this time to block an €18 billion aid package for Ukraine. Ukraine desperately needs this money, given the crisis in the public finances there. Unfortunately, Hungary continues to be the bold child of Europe, with regard to its ongoing problems with the rule of law. Things cannot continue the way they are and, sooner or later, Hungary's relationship with the EU will have to be brought to a head. In the meantime, other ways to get this aid to Ukraine will have to be considered and finalised as soon as possible.

The political situation in Iran continues to be a cause of serious concern. Mahsa Amini died in custody in September resulting in a wave of demonstrations across the country.

The fundamental and inalienable rights of women and girls are central to these peaceful protests. The protests have been met with a brutal crackdown by the Iranian regime in an attempt to suppress the uprising. Reports suggest that more than 300 protestors have been killed, including more than 60 children. Imagine 60 children being killed as a result of this crackdown. More than 15,000 protestors have been arrested. Many more have been imprisoned and tortured, with some due to be executed. Fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are being trampled.

As if that were not enough, it is clear that Iran is supplying drone weaponry to Russia for use in Ukraine, thus flouting the provisions of the Iranian nuclear deal. In response, the EU has correctly sanctioned a number of individuals and entities in Iran. The Minister for Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador to Iveagh House in October to outline Ireland's strong position on these matters. However, there are plans to reopen the Irish Embassy in Iran following its closure in 2012. The editorial in The Irish Timesof 25 November stated that Iran's was a regime in its final throes. Recent events suggest that it is coming to an end. In such circumstances, the Irish Embassy's reopening would send out all the wrong signals and, therefore, should not be proceeded with.

The Ukraine crisis has sparked an energy crisis, necessitating an EU response. That is why I welcome last month's signing of contracts for the Celtic interconnector, which will link the national electricity systems of Ireland and France. It will be the first interconnector between Ireland and mainland Europe, come at a cost of €1.6 billion and be supported by EU funding. It will complement the overall objective of eliminating the EU's reliance on Russian fossil fuels and improving the security of our electricity supply. I look forward to the day when Ireland is in a position to export electricity to mainland Europe, having made the necessary investment to harness our offshore wind, which we have in abundance.

I noted yesterday's EU summit on the western Balkans. For the first time, it was held in a western Balkan country. The region is of strategic importance and we need to speed up the accession process and help these countries implement their necessary reforms. Yesterday's summit agreed a number of financial assistance measures for the western Balkans. All of this will be helpful. In principle, Ireland supports enlargement and I hope that the accession process in respect of these countries can be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible.

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