Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to answer Questions Nos. 6 to 9, inclusive, together.

I attended a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 27 June. I was delighted to travel to Brussels with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. At the meeting, which had an extensive agenda, leaders and heads of state and government agreed on a package of appointments and nominations to top roles in the Union’s institutions for the next period, adopted our five-year strategic agenda to cover the period to 2029 and agreed a roadmap on internal reforms. We also met President Zelenskyy, discussed Ukraine and returned to our discussions of the Middle East, calling again for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance in Gaza. I repeated my view on the need for the trade agreement to be reviewed regarding the human rights clauses. We discussed short- and medium-term goals in the area of security and defence and touched on a number of other issues including competitiveness, migration, the Black Sea region, Moldova, Georgia and hybrid threats.

On appointments, we decided to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission, subject to a vote of the European Parliament; to appoint former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa as President of the European Council; and to nominate Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, as High Representative and vice president of the commission for foreign affairs. The meeting also adopted the EU’s new strategic agenda based around three themes: a free and democratic Europe; a strong and secure Europe; and a prosperous and competitive Europe. The agenda will help to guide the EU’s direction and goals over the next five years, including during Ireland’s Presidency in the second half of 2026. We met President Zelenskyy, who was able to attend in person on this occasion, and expressed our deep concern about the recent escalation of hostilities and intensified attacks on civilians by Russia. The situation has become only worse in recent days. We took stock of the various ways the EU is supporting Ukraine, welcoming in particular the signature of the EU’s security guarantees for Ukraine, as well the first disbursement this summer of extraordinary revenue from Russia’s frozen assets. We called for the Council to agree urgently the release of the first tranche of funding from the Ukraine assistance fund under the European Peace Facility. I am pleased that negotiations towards EU membership were formally opened with Ukraine and Moldova on 25 June in meetings of the Intergovernmental Conferences. This represents a historic step for both countries in their paths towards EU membership. EU membership will be Ukraine’s ultimate guarantee.

We also returned to discussions on the Middle East. We agreed an important set of conclusions, called for all parties to implement the recent UN Security Council resolution on the need for an immediate ceasefire, and called for the release of all hostages and a surge in unhindered humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

Crucially, the European Union called for full respect for international law and for the implementation of International Court of Justice, ICJ, orders, including those from 24 May in relation to Israel's offensive in Rafah and the obligation on Israel to provide humanitarian access to Gaza. Leaders reiterated the commitment to a two-state solution, with a viable Palestinian state living alongside a secure Israel, as the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace. The action to weaken the Palestinian Authority must stop. We called on Israel to cease illegal settlements, to release any withheld clearance revenue, and to take the necessary steps to ensure the corresponding banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place. At our meeting we also called for a de-escalation of tensions along the blue line between Lebanon and Israel.

On security and defence, the European Council considered how to enhance Europe's defence readiness and requested that work on the European defence industry strategy be taken forward. For Ireland it is important that we engage maturely and constructively in these discussions while also ensuring at all times that our position of military neutrality is fully respected. The meeting also reviewed progress on initiatives to enhance competitiveness, to secure economic resilience and to achieve the full potential of the Single Market. We also reviewed progress on enlargement and adopted a roadmap on the parallel task of internal reform. This outlines the steps we need to take to ensure the European Union can continue to be effective in the future, including a European Union with more member states. We also expressed concern about the situation in Georgia, warning its leadership that recent decisions will damage their country's EU perspective. We discussed migration including the need to implement the asylum and migration pact, called for an EU strategy for the Black Sea region and considered how best to tackle hybrid threats.

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