Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for restating the legal position. I ask him to comment on the letter of invitation issued by the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel, to leaders to today's European Council meeting in which he states "a real paradigm shift in relation to our security and defence" is required. He asserts that "it is high time we take radical and concrete steps to be defence-ready and put the EU’s economy on a “war footing”." and goes on to say that, "Building this strategic security mindset require [s] strong leadership and an acute understanding of the urgency of the threats we face. I expect our European Council to live up to this". What does the Tánaiste expect Ireland's response to that statement and to the discussion today to be?

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