Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

President Metsola is welcome to the joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas. As the Tánaiste said, the Eurobarometer poll earlier this year revealed that 71% of Irish citizens have a positive image of the EU, the highest rating among the member states. If anything, the fallout from Brexit has boosted those favourable views both here and across the EU.

I acknowledge the staunch support of our EU partners for the Good Friday Agreement and the clear commitment that there will never be a return to a hard border on the island of Ireland. We remain hopeful that a fair compromise is imminent on the Northern Ireland protocol. What is important is that when a deal comes the Good Friday Agreement, which has protected peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland since it was agreed almost 25 years ago, is defended and respected. We want to see the functioning institutions restored in Northern Ireland.

While there is undoubtedly an overwhelmingly positive attitude to the EU in Ireland, there are also concerns about certain policy choices. The EU should be about the social Europe first and the economic Europe second. The fiscal rules, for example, need reform. One size does not fit all. For example, Ireland needs the freedom to deal with infrastructural deficits, climate change and our housing crisis, while maintaining fiscal stability.

I also want to raise the prosecution of an Irishman, Seán Binder, in Greece for the alleged crime of plucking drowning migrants from the sea. In January, some of the charges against Seán and other humanitarian workers were dropped but felony charges, including for people smuggling, remain. Such prosecutions are an attack on the core values of the EU, including human dignity, equality, human rights and the rule of law.

Another attack on the EU institutions is on trust in the EU by way of corruption, to which President Metsola alluded. Allegations that countries such as Qatar and Morocco have bought influence at the highest political level of the European Parliament were deeply shocking. The European Parliament has so far dealt with this scandal firmly and has lifted diplomatic immunity so that MEPs can be criminally investigated. Corruption, if it is found to exist, will rot the institutions from the inside out and must be excised from the roots. When the criminal investigation is over and if allegations against MEPs and lobbyists are proven, a serious review of existing anti-corruption measures in the EU institutions will be required. I am sure President Metsola will have the full support of this country for any such review. I also reiterate our full solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condemn the brutal invasion of a sovereign state.

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