Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 23, inclusive, together.

I attended the North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium, on Monday, 24 April. There I joined the Prime Ministers of Belgium and Denmark, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Ministers of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway and the President of the European Commission. The summit was a valuable opportunity to engage with leading global champions of offshore wind, share insights and learn from best practice.

Climate change is the most pressing global challenge of our time, and the science is indisputable: we must break the link with fossil fuels. The urgency of action has been reinforced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We must see climate change not just as a burden but also as an opportunity.

The summit demonstrated our collective commitment to accelerating the transition to a green and sustainable energy future. Leaders signed the Ostend Declaration, which commits to accelerating the deployment of offshore renewables and improving connectivity within the north seas. It is crucial that we work together when it comes to issues such as port capacity as well as interconnection and grid capacity.

I had the opportunity to hear from industry representatives and I chaired a round-table discussion focused on how best to deepen cross-country co-ordination and co-operation.

After the summit, leaders also met over dinner and discussed a number of international issues, including the situation in Ukraine.

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