Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to make some comments on the most recent EU Council meeting in Brussels on 23 March. I welcome the fact that the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, was present physically and that President Zelenskyy dialled in remotely. That is good practice. The EU should be reaching out to third countries, particularly EU accession countries. We should also engage with the wider global community of the UN, especially as the UN was so influential in securing the Black Sea grain initiative which has had positive second-order effects throughout the world.

It is right that Ukraine dominated the agenda. It is the most pressing issue in Europe and beyond at the moment. I welcome the fact that there was a major emphasis on accountability at this conference and that there was a welcome for the arrest warrants for Putin and some of his senior staff in the Kremlin. Also there were calls, however futile, for Russia unilaterally to impose a ceasefire on itself and withdraw behind the internationally recognised frontier between Ukraine and Russia. That is a good thing. There were also calls to respect international humanitarian law in relation to the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. I concur with what the Taoiseach said in regard to the return of abductees from Ukraine, particularly children. This is an utterly despicable war crime. The sooner those people return safely the better off we all will be.

The other issue I wish to highlight is the emphasis on repair, recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. It is good that there is talk of establishing a mechanism whereby the international community can register what damage Russia inflicts on Ukraine. Even from a deterrent point of view, that is good practice. One particular question the Minister of State might follow up on in his wrapping up comments is the issue of a freeze and sieze of Russian assets taking place throughout the globe at the moment. About €1.5 billion has been seized in Ireland alone. It would be interesting to find out - I cannot find the answer - whether it has become a freeze, seize and use option. It would be useful if some of those assets were used to reconstruct some of the damage that has been done, in particular in the western parts of Ukraine. That would be a good precedent to establish. It would certainly help from a deterrent point of view. If it is not happening perhaps we could ask why. If it is not happening perhaps we should start to make it happen. We do not need to wait for the end of the conflict to use these assets. Ukraine is a big country. We could begin that process as soon as possible.

In regard to the support for the counter-offensive, we are all pro-peace and anti-war in this Chamber. Unfortunately for the first time in 77 years on this continent there is one large belligerent who has no interest in peace. If he had an interest in peace he would not have started the conflict in the first place. It is appropriate, in light of these circumstances, that the EU supports the counter-offensive which is expected in the next couple of weeks. I wish the Ukraine armed forces every success in that offensive because Ireland is deeply impacted. It is in Ireland’s vital national interests that Ukraine is successful and all the second-order effects that have been visited upon this country are relieved as soon as possible.

In regard to energy, I welcome the fact that there is a focus on next winter already. It is good that there is emphasis on reducing the use of natural gas and dependence on Russian fossil fuels. There is a call to increase storage for natural gas over the summer. That is a particularly significant problem from an Irish perspective. We are the only EU country that has no gas storage. The only storage we have is the 48-hours’ supply in the pipes. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, thinking out loud over the past few days about the possibility of a floating LNG terminal. I do not care whether it is LNG or whether it is floating but we need a natural gas storage facility in this country. It is not good enough to rely on the pipes from Corrib or from Moffat. We should be sensible, prudent and rational and make appropriate preparations for the winter ahead.

In summary, I welcome the endorsement of the Windsor Framework and the donor emphasis for the post-earthquake scenario in Syria and Türkiye. I wish to echo the comments of some of my colleagues in regard to Aidan O’Hara, the Irish citizen EU Ambassador in Sudan. This emphasises once again that Ireland does not have the national sovereign reach to get to our diplomats in difficulty abroad. This happened unexpectedly. We only had a few days’ notice. That, in theory, can happen to any of our diplomats abroad. We do not have that capacity and we should. I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste signed a contract for a new aircraft for €68 million prior to Christmas. However, we do not know how long it will take. It may be two years before that aircraft arrives. Will the Minister indicate when in 2025 we can expect to have this capability so that we can get to our diplomats who are doing exceptionally important and dangerous work abroad, particularly in hostile environments?

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