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

As regards the brutal war in Ukraine, there is no sign that this will end any time soon. It is becoming as protracted as ever. In recent days we have seen fierce fighting and a huge loss of life in Bakhmut. In addition, there have been more missile strikes on several cities. Of particular concern are strikes in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant. This plant has been damaged on a number of occasions and the threat that this poses cannot be overestimated. The International Atomic Energy Agency must be given the time and space to undertake its important work in this regard. There needs to be an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to protect the plant from further attacks.

Russia needs to be held accountable for its violations of international law. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. He stands accused of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Putin needs to be arrested and to stand trial in The Hague for his actions. A recent UN-backed investigation has found that Russia has committed many other war crimes, including murder, rape, torture, as well as attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure. I welcome the fact that Ireland has supported the ICC financially in its work in this regard. I wish it well in the work it is doing and is trying to achieve.

The state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia is ominous. We are told that the two countries reaffirmed their close ties. This comes after the ICC issued its arrest warrant. The peace plan put forward by Mr. Xi has been rightly rejected by the EU given that, inherent in it, is an acceptance of Russian territorial gains to date. The Chinese President’s visit to Russia puts in sharp focus the ongoing battle between democracies and autocracies as outlined by US President Biden previously.

The EU has now announced a tenth round of sanctions on Russian to coincide with the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. This package includes enforcement measures and additional reporting requirements. These sanctions need to be fully implemented by EU member states.

In addition, I believe that the Russian assets should be used to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine and I welcome the fact that this objective is now being examined by the EU.

Ireland has not been found wanting when it comes to support for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy acknowledged this when he spoke to the Taoiseach again earlier this week.

So far, we have contributed €121 million under the European Peace Facility, involving the provision of non-lethal equipment and support. We have also agreed to participate in the EU military assistance mission to Ukraine. Given this is a significant development, the Oireachtas needs to be kept fully updated as to how this mission is proceeding and the role Ireland can play in it. Ireland has said it supports President Zelenskyy's peace plan, and the EU is of the view it is up to Ukraine to determine the terms, conditions and timeline for any peace agreement. Work now needs to begin on how Ireland can contribute to this peace plan and, again, I hope the House can be kept updated on this. We must continue to strongly support Ukraine's application to join the EU and to overcome any obstacles that could delay this process.

Turning to recent developments regarding the UK Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the proposed new electronic travel authorisation, ETA, scheme, the original proposal would have required non-Irish EU citizens living in Ireland to apply for an electronic travel authorisation when crossing the Irish Border. This would have included a requirement for biometric and fingerprint data. The plan was rightly opposed by the Government and human rights groups as well as tourism interests in Northern Ireland. Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and the British Government has dropped the proposal. People who are legally resident in Ireland and do not require a visa to visit the UK will not now need an ETA when crossing the border. This exception for legal residents in Ireland will apply throughout the common travel area. As we know, many non-Irish and EU citizens living in Ireland cross the border every day for all sorts of reasons, and this can now continue without the need for an ETA. However, a problem remains. Non-Irish EU citizens and people needing a visa to travel to the UK will still be required to obtain this ETA. This will be a big problem for people in this categories who are tourists, and a way will have to be found to facilitate them. Many visiting tourists cross the Border and they will be affected by these measures. I hope the Government will continue to lobby for a solution to this problem and support Northern Irish tourism interests in this regard.

On rule-of-law issues, Hungary under Viktor Orbán is still the problem child of the EU. He has introduced new laws discriminating against the LGBTQI+ community. Many EU states have rightly condemned these measures. Ireland, in particular, has taken a strong stand on the issue. The then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, told Viktor Orbán face to face that the new legislation will harm young people and suppress their rights. The European Commission is taking a case on this to the European Court of Justice, and I understand Ireland is going to join the Commission in this action. Moreover, I have heard in recent days that the European Parliament is also going to be part of the action. This is a new development and I fully support it. I would welcome an update from the Minister of State on the matter, given it will be a first for Ireland to be part of a legal action such as this.

In regard to the Windsor Framework, the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, has linked the restoration of the Northern Irish institutions with a solution to the Northern Ireland protocol issue, but they do not need to be linked. We await the DUP's deliberations from its expert panel as its studies the Windsor Framework, but in the meantime, I hope efforts to restore the Northern Irish institutions will continue and I hope the DUP will come on board in due course at the end of the month, when it may, as I understand, may make a decision on this. As I said, the two issues do not have to be linked, even though the DUP has linked them and, therefore, every effort should be made by the Government to restore the Northern Irish institutions as we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday-Belfast Agreement.

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