Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I find the Tánaiste's statement deeply cynical and worrying, to be quite frank. To say that Ireland and the EU have been well served by the Presidency of Ursula von der Leyen shows disregard for the seriousness of her actions in giving unequivocal cover for an unfolding genocide. Yes, Ursula von der Leyen did the right things on Brexit and, by and large, on Covid. However, what she did in greenlighting the blatant disregard for every norm of international humanitarian law of the UN Charter when she stood alongside the leader of the State of Israel and said Europe stood with Israel at a time when it had announced it was going to starve the people of Gaza of electricity, food and water goes beyond anything else. There is nothing else we can put alongside that in her CV. I have to say again that the Government should not be supporting her nomination.

See this speech in context