Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Taoiseach and the other EU heads of state and government were delighted when Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán held up the €50 billion plan for Ukraine at the European Council meeting in December and made them all return for a special meeting in February. It is great that this four-year package, the so-called Ukraine facility, has finally been agreed.

As the Taoiseach stated, the meeting also discussed the terrible events taking place in Gaza. Unfortunately, yet again no conclusions were reached. Nevertheless the Taoiseach spoke on the margins of the meeting about the possibility of recognising the Palestinian state, the need to review the EU-Israel trade association agreement, given its human rights clause, the need to continue funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNWRA, and as the Taoiseach has said, the need for a humanitarian ceasefire. Can the Taoiseach give us a progress report on any of those issues? Has any progress been made at European Council level? I know it is difficult to get agreement on these matters but I wonder if the Taoiseach could update the House on those four points that were reported in the media?

See this speech in context