Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I express my best wishes to EU ambassador Aidan O’Hara on what must have been an incredibly traumatic experience. I am going through the minutes of the EU Council meeting so I can differ from other contributors. What stood out for me was the EU’s strong condemnation of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for imposing import bans on Ukrainian grain and farm produce, and rightly so. A unilateral move of this kind is forbidden under EU law and should be condemned, particularly given Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Solidarity is required; nothing more and nothing less. Ukraine's economy is heavily reliant on grain exports. When Russia invaded last year and blocked much of Ukraine’s global exports, the EU installed solidarity lanes, aware the war-ridden country required relief from its neighbours.

There are two sides to this. Though Ukraine requires special arrangements at this time, farmers and rural communities in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary must have their concerns listened to, as their livelihoods deserve EU support as much as any. I bring this up because the EU Commission was quick to call out unilateralism as illegal and counterproductive in this scenario. Those bearing the brunt of the ban - the people of Ukraine - should have a say in decisions like these, particularly at this time when they are experiencing a traumatic invasion by the Russian Federation. I think we can all agree on that.

However, if unilateral or unfair decisions are forced on parties without their consent, the so-called bilateral agreement on migration between the UK and France should be further examined and, I believe, condemned to the fullest. The third parties affected by their agreements, namely migrants and refugees, did not consent to the conditions imposed on them by the UK and France. They were left voiceless in negotiations that led to the agreement. Much like the European Union has a duty of care towards Ukraine at this time, the UK, the EU, including France and all of us, have an international obligation to uphold the human rights of refugees and migrants.

Those travelling in small boats are victims of unilateralism to the same degree as Ukraine but the Commission remains much quieter on the issue, which neglect I believe is criminal. The EU cannot have a double standard for those in need. Ukraine must continue to receive our support but those fleeing war, persecution and poverty, from wherever that may be in the world, must not be ignored or worse.

The EU's silence on the UK's illegal migration Bill is deafening and must be urgently replaced by condemnation. The UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman was overjoyed with the fact that migrants, refugees and even victims of trafficking could be sent against their will to Rwanda and yet the EU seems to remain silent. According to the Refugee Council and common sense this is a blatant human rights violation yet Suella Braverman simply laughed in the face of it. We got to see her face as she laughed at the centre in Rwanda. What should be also condemned is the handshake between the UK Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of France as they agreed the UK would pay France to effectively extend the borders of the UK to stop refugees coming in. The EU's response to the illegal treatment of Ukrainians this week was instant. As a member state we must urge condemnation of these outrageous plans for vulnerable people entering the UK.

In the same vein, the European Union has been too quiet on the €530 million the UK will pay to France over the next three years to fund detention centres to further the Tory party's right-wing agenda and to further fortress Europe, bringing it closer to our borders. The co-ordinated response of these two former colonial powers spits in the face of the global response, which has been largely one of compassion and solidarity for migrants and refugees since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The deal fails to address the factors behind people choosing to put themselves at risk to try to reach the UK in the first place and will do little to end the crossings. If anything, those who are forced to cross are now in greater danger. The vast majority of those taking these perilous journeys are refugees escaping for their lives from conflict zones throughout the world. Safer routes are needed and not armed patrols. Nobody searching for a better life should have a gun or a baton stuck in their face.

Sadly, this is only one of the many appalling issues on which the EU seems to have remained silent at this particular council meeting. I do not think time will permit me to speak about the neglect of the Palestinian peoples. This month, once again, Israel's security forces broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. In pre-European Council statements we asked the Taoiseach whether he would raise it and now, in our post-Council statements, we are asking why it was not raised. We cannot neglect the horrendous situation happening in the Horn of Africa at present. We are now into the third year of drought and hardship, and the resilience of those affected is being pushed beyond it limits. The European Union and all of us need to do better to ensure we can get grains to those people to stave off famine and drought.

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