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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together.

On 1 February, I attended a special European Council meeting in Brussels.

The main item on the agenda was the mid-term review of the EU budget for the period 2021 to 2027, including agreement on a €50 billion assistance package for Ukraine. We had discussed the proposed package at our meeting in December. While it had been possible to secure agreement among 26 member states, Hungary was not ready to agree at that time. Hungary has since come on board and at our meeting on 1 February, agreed to the budget package on foot of some small adjustments to the text. The package agreed provides an additional financial envelope in the budget of €64.6 billion in total through a mix of new and existing funds being reallocated. Taking account of redeployments of €10.6 billion, and the €33 billion in loans in the money for Ukraine, the net amount of new moneys being committed under the revision is €21 billion. Some €50 billion will now go to the Ukraine facility, comprising €17 billion in grants and €33 billion in loans. That places financial assistance for Ukraine over the next four years on a predictable and sustainable footing. Additional funding will also now be available for priorities that include migration, external action and the solidarity and emergency reserve that assists member states experiencing a disaster.

We also held a strategic discussion on the situation in the Middle East. I once again strongly advocated for an immediate ceasefire that would allow access for the humanitarian supplies so urgently needed in Gaza, as well as for the immediate release of all remaining hostages, which should happen without any conditions and should have happened a long time ago.

We also discussed challenges facing the agricultural sector and significant concerns raised by farmers in several member states.

The evening before the special European Council meeting, I was honoured to attend a commemoration ceremony hosted by the European Commission in honour of Jacques Delors. Later that evening, I also attended an informal gathering of EU leaders over dinner.

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