Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

I thank the Government for the briefing on the European Council. I particularly welcome the update on the work done on Ukraine and encourage more of that. I agree with the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne's comments that we need to make sure it does not fade from view in the media and in our discussions.

I want to focus my comments on concerns I have around three specific topics: European defence, Gaza and the omnibus. First, with regard to defence, I want to highlight in particular the words of the European Council President, António Costa, immediately after the European Council. The emphasis was not just on defence but on the EU as a defence alliance. The Council President celebrated how the EU is tying our actions on defence to the decisions and work of NATO as two sides of the same coin. We are framing the funding of arms manufacturers and research on how best to kill people as key to European prosperity. We hear from the most senior figures of the EU that what the European Union wants is a "common European defence system".

I have heard empty assurances these past few months about the love that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have for our neutrality. This is cold comfort when the most powerful people in the EU are attempting to turn the European Union into a defence union. What has Ireland done to push back and to protect our sovereignty and neutrality within this context? Not only that, but last week, we heard at the defence committee that the EU will classify defence spending, that is spending on bombs, guns and missiles, as "sustainable finance". This is pitting the companies that are fighting climate change, poverty and hunger directly against arms companies, including ones that are directly supplying Israel in its genocide in Gaza. What has Ireland done to push back against this subversion of truth and twisting of reality? Is it that bombs are sustainable, that guns and bullets are a green investment or that war will bring peace?

I despair at the fact that while we have continued and increasingly strong words from the Government on Gaza, we have yet to see tangible actions. We have been told when we raise this issue that the Government strategy is to keep in step with Europe entirely and then to refuse to lead as a country. As I have repeatedly pointed out, this is unacceptable when we consider the very unique solidarity of the Irish people with this cause. We alone in Europe have a clear mandate from our population. It is clear from the report on the EU-Israel association agreement that Israel is in breach of its obligations. This is something the European Council has said, yet we, as a Union, have done nothing. In black and white, we now see the human rights requirements of EU trade agreements are not worth the paper they are written on. It is clear that Europe has failed the test of moral courage that will define these times, so what are we waiting for? Why can Ireland not be brave and take that first step?

There is one other thing that I have repeatedly said and that I want to keep reminding people of. Even when we go as far as suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, and the words of the Taoiseach in his opening comments were that Ireland has consistently said that all options must be considered up to and including suspension of the association agreement, that is simply the revocation of a privilege. It does not even amount to sanctions. All it does is level the playing field with our other trading partners. The fact that we would even consider capping it at the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement and not seek to go further with sanctions against Israel that mirror the sanctions imposed on Russia by European Union is galling.

Regarding the omnibus, we hear frequently from the Government of the importance of simplification and how competitiveness trumps all. It appears that our competitiveness is apparently more important than human rights, employment rights and social spending. We in the Social Democrats are not against making compliance as simple as possible for small businesses. However, we are against deregulation that results in the continuation of slavery and human rights violations in our supply chains. I have been struggling for months to get a straight answer from the Government on whether the CSDDD will be protected. The assurances I got were minimal and swept away by an omnibus package being approved by the Council that Human Rights Watch said turned this supply chain law into window dressing at best. Under current proposals, fewer than 1,000 companies will be bound by the directive, most supply chains will be out of scope and there is no requirement to implement climate action plans at all. How can we stand over this package? What has Ireland done to push back against this deregulation package?

I look forward to answers to those questions from the Minister of State.

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