Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Taoiseach outlining some of the details of the European Council meeting. There are two areas of concern for me. One is the fact that the latest round of sanctions includes further seizing of assets belonging to Russian companies and Russian citizens. How might we mobilise those resources to support Ukraine and its economy during any reconstruction, and also to support the millions of Ukrainian migrants living in EU companies right across Europe? I would appreciate it if the Taoiseach could provide any details on that. Second, I know that there are general discussions on the European economy as well. The increase in interest rates by the European Central Bank has been significant. The ECB is independent, but Irish mortgage holders have seen a really significant increase in their mortgage repayments. That will have a cap on demand. Does that necessarily relate to a reduction in inflation? Is our current inflationary spiral linked to supply or demand? Have the European leaders discussed how the increase in the interest rate will impact broader growth in Europe?

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