Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak. In the aftermath of the elections, when we have MEPs going over to Europe to represent Ireland, it is important we reflect on where we are going in Europe and what we are doing. As Deputy Connolly stated, one of the items on the agenda is world security, but it is world peace we should be looking for. The world is at a point such that we are on the verge of witnessing even more bloodshed, injury and death. The European Union, as a political body, has a major role to play in the outcome of what is going on at the moment in the sense that it is an influencer and that is influence should be used to promote peace as opposed to taking sides. It was right to defend Ukraine. It is right to defend it on the basis that it was invaded by Russia. There have been many people killed and we do not know yet the extent of it because some of it we have not seen at all yet. The consequences are evident on our shores whereby we have so many people from Ukraine. The EU is a major player on the world stage in terms of politics, but also in terms of peace. Some MEPs who were elected made commitments before they were elected that they would not support Ursula von der Leyen for President. She has become a symbol of pro-Israel sentiment in all the conflict that is going on and it is time the MEPs decided and reflected on what message they want to give to the world. Ursula von der Leyen is not the person right now to be our President in Europe. That is a basic reflection. It is nothing personal; it is just that the image she creates is not what Europe or Ireland need at the moment.

As a small country which has experienced conflict, Ireland has a huge role to play within Europe. On that basis, I wish the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, the best of luck in his role, whatever it might be. I just hope there is not bartering going on for Commissioner positions being intermingled with support for Commission President. I say that straight up because we should not have that type of scenario going on. Deputy Michael McGrath, who will be the former Minister by this evening, has shown without a shadow of a doubt that he is well capable of taking on the role of Commissioner in whatever directorate he is put into. We wish him well on that, but I hope there is no bartering going on, or jockeying for position either.

Returning to the European Union and where it is at, there is a sense – and we are probably feeding into it – in that people we are getting into a stage where we are all about the military, defence and charging up the forces against attack instead of trying to make peace in the world. One of the other things people in rural Ireland look at is Europe's influence on how we live, how we do our business, the directives that come from the European Union and how they are transposed into law and the effect, or even the perceived effect, they can have on the lives of people here. The nature restoration law is one of those things in respect of which there was probably a significant amount of anxiety and worry. The only problem with it was that what was being done was never really communicated properly. That allowed people to take advantage and engage in a bit of scaremongering.

I think we have to look at how we transpose European law into Irish law, and how we do it for the benefit of this country, rather than being the best pupils in class in Europe. That is what was said to me when I was out on the doorsteps during the election in a rural constituency where they feel that Europe and governments are maybe removing themselves from the communities that make up the Union, and that rural communities, especially in small towns and villages, are forgotten in all of the glorious directives that come out with regard to how they affect people locally. I think the communication of what is happening in Europe back to the member states and into local areas is vital. I hope that in this new Parliament, we will see more of that - more communication from MEPs and from the Government on what is coming up so we can prepare and do the analysis on the effects for our country, good and bad, of whatever legislation is coming from Europe.

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