Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I attended a meeting of the European Council on 26 June in Brussels. The substantial items on the agenda included support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, European security and defence and the preparation of upcoming EU summits with third country partners and regions. The Council also returned to enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in the context of global economic developments, not least the ongoing EU-US trade negotiations. Other items covered were migration, support for the Republic of Moldova, the situation in the western Balkans, the EU’s internal security and crisis preparedness. Other discussions included external relations with Libya and the Sahel. I will deal with Ukraine, the Middle East, in particular the humanitarian situation in Gaza, European security and defence, competitiveness and trade. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will later speak to all other issues.

Support for Ukraine following Russia’s illegal war of aggression continues to be a top priority for the European Union. President Zelenskyy briefed us on the current situation and recent developments, including Russia’s escalation in strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Together with my fellow leaders, we reconfirmed the EU’s unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed. The EU has provided substantial military support to Ukraine to enable it to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing aggression, but Ukraine requires our help now even more urgently. Ireland will continue to explore how we can provide non-lethal military support, building on the €100 million package of support agreed by our Government earlier this year.

As Russia continues to launch strikes on Ukraine, it is clear that it is not engaging in peace talks in good faith, while it continues to maintain its maximalist demands. Against this background it is more important than ever that we bolster support for Ukraine across all work strands. Leaders discussed how the EU can step up military support for Ukraine, play a constructive role in any potential peace process and contribute to security guarantees as part of a peace agreement. We also discussed how the EU can apply more pressure on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire and engage seriously in peace efforts. It was agreed that strengthening sanctions against Russia is key to this effort. The European Council therefore agreed to the roll-over of existing sanctions on Russia for a further six months and welcomed agreement on the European Union's 17th package of sanctions. More is required, however, and that is why it is important that we reach agreement on an 18th package of sanctions as quickly as possible. Ireland will continue to support strong sanctions against Russia.

Ireland is also engaged in discussions at EU level around short-term recovery efforts and preparations for a successful longer term reconstruction effort for Ukraine. Reconstruction cannot be limited to rebuilding what was destroyed during the war but must look to reform, recovery and modernisation. Raising awareness of this and mobilising support for it will be the focus of the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on 10 and 11 July. Investments aligned with the EU reform agenda will be also key to supporting Ukraine's future European Union accession. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s EU perspective, and I continue to advocate at European Union level for substantial progress on Ukraine’s EU accession. I believe that EU membership is an important part of the security guarantees for Ukraine, and I underlined at the Council that it is essential to maintain momentum in Ukraine’s enlargement process and to move forward on the next steps without delay. I regret that one member state, Hungary, is holding this up.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the European Council met against a deeply troubling and shocking backdrop in the Middle East. I again emphasised and strongly contributed on the need not to lose sight of the catastrophic situation in Gaza. European Union leaders recalled the importance of unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza, and to enable the United Nations and its agencies and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives and reduce suffering. Ireland has consistently called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade of humanitarian and commercial supplies for Gaza and allow the full resumption of unimpeded humanitarian aid, in line with humanitarian principles.

An important element of our discussions at the European Council was the review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the association agreement. It is clear from the review that Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations. This is a significant finding and one that the EU must now act upon. The European Union’s credibility depends on this. In this context, I welcome that the EU High Representative will bring an inventory of options for follow-up action for consideration by member states to the July meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. Ireland has consistently said that all options must be considered, up to and including suspension of the association agreement. This is about holding Israel to account and using all the tools at our disposal to apply pressure on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law. We must use all available levers to bring this awful conflict to an end. There must be a ceasefire leading to a permanent end to the conflict. All remaining hostages must be released. The people of Gaza and the loved ones of those held hostage by Hamas have suffered for far too long.

The European Council also recalled its commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution. Ireland has been clear that unprecedented levels of violence, large-scale displacement of the Palestinian population, and record levels of settlement construction erode work to achieve the two-state solution. It is important that the postponed UN conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution goes ahead as soon as conditions allow. I understand that may be next week, on Tuesday.

The European Council welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Iran and called for this ceasefire to be underpinned by diplomacy for lasting peace for the region. The conclusions state clearly that a lasting solution to the Iran nuclear issue can only be achieved through negotiations. We hope that these negotiations can recommence imminently. The EU will continue to urge all parties to the recent conflict to abide by international law and work towards establishing sustained regional stability at this crucial time. We also look towards and will try to support a peaceful and inclusive transition for Syria. On Lebanon, we value that the European Council called for all parties to uphold the ceasefire agreement and recognised the stabilising role of UNIFIL in the region, a role to which Irish troops are bravely contributing.

The European Council discussed implementation of commitments made earlier this year to enhance Europe’s defence capabilities and readiness within the next five years. The international security environment continues to deteriorate, and to be contested, dynamic and volatile. The EU is acting with greater decisiveness, ambition and speed to tackle the threats we face. Ireland must be a part of this process because we are part of the European Union, and because such threats are existential for the way in which we live our lives across the European Union. We believe that the White Paper on the future of European defence presents Ireland with a unique opportunity to join with other EU member states to enhance our individual and collective preparedness and capabilities across all areas of security and defence. Ireland will consider joining projects in areas where capabilities and needs have been identified by our Defence Forces and the Department of Defence. Other member states may have wider interests, but it has been made clear in the White Paper that the positions of all member states will be respected, including those like Ireland that are militarily neutral. Member states remain in the driving seat in determining the capabilities they require nationally, and it remains a national prerogative to decide how to use capabilities developed jointly.

I welcome the adoption by the Council of the security action for Europe, SAFE, regulation, which will provide member states with a financing mechanism to support their investment in defence. However, I would stress that decisions on defence spending remain a matter for individual member states. We are focused on developing our national defence capabilities and transforming our Defence Forces, and we will leverage the common procurement opportunities offered under the SAFE regulation as much as possible to progress delivery of Ireland’s defence capabilities and needs as quickly as possible. We look forward to continuing this work and to complementing this by working with other member states on common projects to the benefit of us all.

Leaders returned to competitiveness issues, having agreed in March that 2025 would mark a step change in our collective action to strengthen the EU’s Single Market. It is clear that geopolitical developments and the pace of technological advances are posing new challenges to Europe’s economic dynamism, which remains constrained by fragmented market rules in fast-evolving services sectors. Last year’s Draghi report highlighted, in particular, the key performance gap with the United States in terms of scaling fast-growing young firms at the technological frontier. There is much we can do to simplify regulatory frameworks and reduce administrative burdens on firms. We must also remove barriers within the Single Market, particularly for services. Recent work by the IMF suggests that remaining Single Market barriers are equivalent on average to a 44% tariff on goods and a 110% tariff on services, so there is a lot we can do ourselves in respect of removing barriers and making ourselves more competitive within the Single Market. Leaders welcomed in this context the detailed Single Market and startup and scale-up strategies presented by the Commission in May and called for work on their implementation to begin without delay. I made clear my own view that we must make Europe the best place in which to start and grow a business, including through a completely modernised digital environment and strong investment in research and innovation. I strongly welcome the broad-based agreement we have established that this will remain a crucially important political focus for the period ahead.

The European Council also endorsed the Commission’s proposal that Bulgaria adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, having fulfilled all the convergence criteria set out in the treaty. I take this opportunity to congratulate Bulgaria on reaching this important milestone towards becoming the 21st member of the single currency area from the beginning of next year.

In the context of strengthening our competitiveness, European leaders reflected on the European Union’s place in the world. This takes in a number of perspectives, including our trade relations. This is not just about current negotiations with the United States but also how the European Union can focus on market diversification via an expanded set of EU free trade agreements and work with other like-minded regions and groupings.

While European Union-US trade negotiations were not a formal agenda item, they were naturally a topic of interest and discussion among leaders. During the summit, Commission President von der Leyen provided an update on the current state of trade negotiations with the United States. There was a strong view among EU leaders that the Commission should have a mandate to continue to negotiate a deal with the US. Leaders also agreed that while a successful outcome to the negotiations and an agreement that works for both side remains the objective, the work on potential countermeasures that protect EU businesses and consumers must also continue. As the House will be aware, the deadline to reach agreement or to end the US pause on higher tariff rates has now been extended to 1 August. It is increasingly clear that any deal is likely to include a baseline tariff. It is very important therefore that the EU seeks to achieve a zero-for-zero approach for as many sectors as possible. The Government has been engaging actively with the Commission to ensure that they understand Ireland’s position and concern in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medtech and agrifood. I spoke again with President von der Leyen on Monday, when she updated me on the latest situation. I wished her, Commissioner Šefčovič and their team in the Commission well in their efforts to secure the best possible deal for the EU. In spite of recent turbulence, the European Union is in prime position when it comes to global trade. The openness of our trade regime has meant that the European Union is the biggest player on the global trading scene. This is worth defending.

This was yet another busy and important meeting of the European Council. It was clear from our discussions that we face many challenges, and it is important now that there is effective follow-up to the conclusions of the meeting across a range of areas. Leaders will return to many of these issues to assess progress and discuss further actions at the next formal meeting of the European Council in October.

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