Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt that the spirit of EU membership would further support what the Tánaiste is saying. However, there is also no doubt but that we cannot ignore the vulnerabilities posed to energy and communications infrastructure across Europe, most especially in the waters of the North Atlantic close to our own shores. What estimate does the Tánaiste have for the extent to which undersea fibre-optic cables now channel the world's global communications and financial transactions? Given the extent of the maritime domain alone and Ireland's exclusive economic zone, covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, is it legitimate to believe the way to address our vulnerabilities is to build autonomous capabilities without any mention of our current partnerships and their future potential?

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