Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Carthy. We mark the 73rd anniversary of the signing of the historic Schuman Declaration at a time of great challenge for Europe and the world. The last three years have tested the resilience, togetherness and solidarity of the peoples of Europe in profound ways. A perfect storm of crises came in the shape of a global pandemic, a soaring cost-of-living and energy crunch, a real and immediate climate emergency and the return of war in Europe. It is our shared values of unity, peace, social solidarity and justice that can provide us with the strength to face these challenges with determination and the ambition to seek a better future for all.

Ireland is an ancient and proud European nation. This year we mark 50 years since we joined what was then the European Economic Community. In those 50 years Ireland has journeyed from one of the poorest countries in Europe to one of transformational economic development. We have seen a significant strengthening in living standards and the advancement of the social rights of citizens. However, let us be clear that there is still much work to be done to overcome the persistent scourge of poverty and disadvantage, to realise Ireland's full potential, to match the ambitions and aspirations of workers and families and to build opportunity for everyone. We need to be forthright, therefore, about the real and valid points of concern because too often the direction of travel has pointed towards militarisation, deregulation, privatisation and a reflexive lurch to austerity in times of economic crisis. These are all choices that have at times left ordinary people alienated and disconnected from the European project.

However, as people rally to the flag of progressive politics, meaningful change is possible and a Europe of empowered citizens is possible. The opportunities of change for Ireland are immense. Ireland can be a European leader of peace, prosperity and hope. We can lead the transition to a greener and cleaner future through harnessing our abundance of wind and renewable resources. Ireland can achieve energy independence and create the clean jobs of the future. We can become an international hub for clean energy and help decarbonise the economies of Europe. We can protect our children's futures and protect our environment through ambitious and fair change. There is no limit to what the peoples of Europe can achieve if we do it together as a community of nations.

As the European values of solidarity, partnership and co-operation again come to the fore in a volatile world, there exists an opportunity to build a truly social Europe, one in which workers, families and communities are at the very heart of our shared future. We have a chance to reimagine and reshape the European endeavour as a beacon to the world of human rights, equality and economic justice. That is how we would enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union and build a future in which every citizen has a stake.

It is that togetherness that sees Europe standing strong with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their freedom and the freedom of their beloved homeland against Russia's criminal invasion. There can be no victory for Putin's military aggression against Ukrainian sovereignty, so he must immediately withdraw his army and end this war. The journey to a lasting peace must begin now and must be underpinned by the values of democracy, integrity and the rule of international law. With our unwavering support, Ukraine will win the day of liberation and, I believe, a future of peace and prosperity as a member of the European Union, if that is the will of its people.

In the stand against military belligerence and for the rule of international law, there can be no double standards. Europe must be to the fore in confronting Israel's apartheid against the Palestinian people. Europe can no longer stand idly by as Palestinian lands are forcibly annexed and illegally settled, as Palestinian homes are demolished and the schools of Palestinian children bulldozed to dust. Together, we must work for an end to this brutal occupation and for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

In an increasingly complex world, Ireland remains a strong and leading European voice for peace. We have achieved that powerful position not by way of military might but through our respected, long-held tradition of neutrality and our unequivocal moral principle and stand. That is at the core of Ireland's influence across the world. Those who do not recognise this make a grave error. Sustained efforts by successive Governments to undermine and erode our military neutrality are wrong. Europe is made stronger through the involvement of militarily neutral and non-aligned nations. Our connection is deepened by differing perspectives. Rather than retreating into the quicksand of default militarisation, the Government must lead the call for recognition of militarily neutral and non-aligned countries within the European treaties, within the basic law of our Union. Of course, that must also happen in line with the Irish Constitution. Europe is at its very best when it is on the side of peace and conflict resolution.

We in Ireland know that better than most as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The agreement is an international blueprint for peacemaking and can rightly be cited as a stand-out success of Ireland's membership of the EU. Today, however, we are challenged with impasse. A year on from the assembly election, we need a functioning Government, we need the North-South bodies up and running and we need the east-west relationship back on a sustainable footing. The negotiations between the European Commission and the British Government are over. It is time to move forward. The DUP is at a moment of decision. I really hope it chooses partnership and progress, because together we can again make power-sharing work for everyone.

Brexit threatened disaster for Ireland as the people of the North were dragged out of the EU against their democratically expressed wishes. Brexit highlighted the failure of partition in a very sharp way. It demonstrated how the century-long division of Ireland has held back the realisation of our full potential. Our future must see the whole of Ireland back within the European Union. We have built the peace and now it is time for this generation to write the next chapter, namely, the reunification of our country. Seismic, generational change is already under way in Ireland. We must plan for peaceful, orderly and democratic constitutional change. We must prepare for referendums on Irish unity. I once again call on the Government to establish a citizens' assembly to discuss and plan for reunification. That would be a forum for the most important conversation of our time, and I include in that our unionist citizens - those who are British in a partitioned Ireland and who will remain British in a united Ireland. Ireland, united as a nation and a people, will not only be transformational for our country but will also present a catalyst for a positive, progressive reimagining of Europe's future. Agus muid ag comóradh 50 bliain ó ghlacamar ballraíocht san Aontas Eorpach, is féidir le hÉirinn athrú dearfach agus forásach a thabhairt chun tosaigh. Caithfidh ár dtodhchaí Éire ar fad a fheiceáil ar ais laistigh den Aontas Eorpach agus Éire aontaithe chun tosaigh den Eoraip shóisialta ina bhfuil tús áite ag oibrithe, teaghlaigh agus pobal.

A new generation now bravely and boldly reaches for a new Ireland in a changed Europe, a new, modern, engaged Ireland shaped by the positive current of change sweeping across our country, shaped by opportunity and the ambitions of workers and families and shaped by the power and aspiration of our young people in particular. This is a moment to redefine our journey as a nation. Our united future is not only to be part of the European Union but to be at the forefront of the European project, driving change and improvements that benefit progress and prosperity and the uplift of every single ordinary yet extraordinary European citizen.

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