Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach for a report on his attendance at the special European Council on 17 and 18 April 2024. [18052/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent special meeting of the European Council. [20459/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent special meeting of the European Council. [20462/24]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent special meeting of the European Council. [20465/24]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent special meeting of the European Council. [20873/24]

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the special European Council on 17 and 18 April 2024. [21522/24]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent special meeting of the European Council. [21523/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together.

I attended a special European Council meeting in Brussels on 17 and 18 April. On 17 April, we heard from the President of the European Parliament and from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, the latter by video link. Over a working dinner, we discussed a range of international issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East and the EU's relations with Türkiye. On 18 April, we had a comprehensive discussion on Europe's competitiveness and the need to reinvigorate the Single Market.

On Ukraine, we reiterated our full and unwavering support for Ukraine, its people and its territorial sovereignty. We condemned Russia's continued attacks against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure, particularly the targeting of the energy sector. We discussed the current security situation, including the urgent need for air defence systems to protect Ukraine's cities and infrastructure and the need to accelerate the delivery of military, humanitarian and civil assistance. In my contribution, I pressed for accession negotiations with Ukraine to begin as soon as possible, ideally before the summer. This would send a strong message to Putin that Ukraine's future is within the European Union family.

On the Middle East, the European Council condemned Iran's attack on Israel, calling on Iran to completely cease all attacks. We urged all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalation of conflict in the region. We also agreed to impose further sanctions on Iran. This work is being carried forward by the Foreign Affairs Council.

On Gaza, leaders reaffirmed our commitment to work with partners to end the crisis and to reach an immediate ceasefire, to secure the unconditional release of all hostages and to provide unhindered humanitarian aid. We reiterated our support for a two-state solution. In that context, I strongly set out Ireland's intention to recognise the state of Palestine.

As the House is aware, the situation in Lebanon remains very fragile. The European Council expressed its determination to support the most vulnerable in Lebanon and to assist in combating human trafficking and smuggling.

In our strategic debate on relations with Türkiye, we acknowledged that the EU has a strategic interest in maintaining a secure and stable environment in the eastern Mediterranean. We also emphasised the importance of progress on the Cyprus settlement talks within the United Nations framework.

On the second day of our meeting, the former Italian Prime Minister, Enrico Letta, presented his recent report on the future of the Single Market. Ireland is among a large number of member states that are like-minded on the need to deepen and strengthen the Single Market, including for services, and to work constantly to improve our competitiveness, to advance and open an ambitious trade agenda, and to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for countries and enterprises. At our meeting, we agreed on the need to reinvigorate the Single Market as the key driver of European competitiveness and asked for a new horizontal Single Market strategy to be prepared by June 2025. This should contain concrete steps to improve conditions for investment and entrepreneurship in the decades ahead, as well as reducing red tape and removing barriers.

Driving forward the green and digital transformations, as well as meeting our increased security needs in coming years, will require significant investment. Mobilising private finance, including in partnership with public funding, will be essential. We, therefore, agreed on the need to deepen capital markets union in the EU. On agriculture, leaders acknowledged the importance of the sector and its key role in food security and the EU's strategic autonomy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am struck by the extraordinary double standards that the European Union displays and the Taoiseach seems to go along with when we look at the contrast between the way in which the Ukrainian situation is presented and the way in which the Palestinian situation is presented. It may just be a symbolic thing but tomorrow is Nakba, the anniversary of the catastrophe, as it is known to the Palestinians, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed, using extreme violence, in 1948. Millions of them are refugees and under international law are allowed back, but Israel has no intention of ever letting them back and has made that absolutely clear. We cannot even fly the Palestinian flag here in the Oireachtas, although we fly the Ukrainian flag.

At the European Council, we start with Ukraine, affirming absolute support for Ukraine against what is the brutal invasion by Putin, and then we come to Israel and Iran. There are immediate sanctions for Iran but, from what I hear, no mention of the attack by the Israelis on the Iranian consulate. I am not justifying bombing by anybody but just pointing to the double standards. There is no mention of sanctions against Israel for what the International Court of Justice says is a plausible genocide and most sentient people, looking at the horror that is now intensifying in Rafah and has gone on for the past seven months, would say is a genocide.

It is happy to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran but there are no sanctions on Israel despite the fact that it is probably - definitely, in my opinion - committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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I understand that the special European Council had some discussion on economic matters, including the position of small business and supports for small business. I also understand that the Taoiseach is bringing forward a package tomorrow. There are a few points I wish to make about that. I will start by saying hands off the minimum wage and hands off workers' sick leave. I am open to the idea of supports for small business. I do not have any ideological opposition to that but I am utterly opposed to any attempt to attack workers' rights in the name of helping small business. High rents are not going to go on hold. High prices at the supermarkets are not going to go on hold and the Government cannot go putting minimum wage increases on hold or on slowdown.

Fine Gael has always been, in my view, an anti-worker party but in recent times it has invested considerable energy in trying to portray an image of being a more worker-friendly party. However, if it tries to rein in pay increases for our lowest paid workers or leave entitlements for workers who are ill, that image will be in smithereens. It will be in smithereens in the run-in to a local election, a European election and a general election too. The Taoiseach might want to have a think about that.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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This was the Taoiseach's first European Council meeting. As we have heard, there were several items on the agenda, including the Middle East and Ukraine. On Israel's war on Gaza, the European Council finally agreed, for the first time, to call for an immediate ceasefire, thus discarding the previous and wholly inadequate call for a humanitarian pause. It was also able to agree on the need for unhindered access for humanitarian aid at scale for Palestine. It seems that the brutal reality of the situation on the ground in Gaza was finally recognised collectively by all the EU leaders.

The European Council also considered, as we have heard, how to secure the economic prosperity of the EU. According to the Government press release at the time, the Taoiseach would be arguing for "a deeper Single Market; a more ambitious trade agenda, reduced administrative burdens for businesses, including SMEs; greater access to private investment to help build European enterprises; and a competitive, sustainable and resilient agricultural sector." It is very important that Europe's economy remains resilient and competitive, having regard to current global economic challenges. How was his economic message, that being the message in his press release, received? Is he satisfied that the EU is taking the necessary next steps to ensure ongoing economic growth in Europe?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It is fair to say that people see double standards. I am not taking away from the fact that Germany, the Czech Republic and other member states started with what was not necessarily a helpful outlook with regard to Israel, and that is the nicest way I can put it. We have seen that many in the European Union and its various bodies were overly supportive of Israel and provided cover that was not in any way helpful as Israel started its genocidal attack on the Palestinian people, continuing its long history of oppression and land grabs.

It is also fair to say that, in the context of the illegal invasion by Russia, the general solidarity and support for Ukraine, which are right, have been impacted, especially in the global south, by the failure of the western powers to show teeth when they should have with regard to Israel. America and some of our European partners, such as Germany, still provide Israel with weapons. While we have seen some action on that and we welcome that there the European Council is finally talking about a ceasefire and aid, we know we need a lot more. Is there any update on whether humanitarian conditions can be brought into play with respect to the EU-Israel association agreement? If not, it means there was obviously a mistake in how the conditions were put together. We have a genocidal slaughter at this point and there are no means of impacting unless agreement is reached across the European Union.

As I said to the Taoiseach before, this is an absolute disaster and we do not what will face the people of Rafah. This is also about what we can do, however. We welcome what is going to be done on recognition, on which we need a timeline. Then there are further moves on divestment. I would like to see our Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill and-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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We are running over time. I call the Taoiseach.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank colleagues for the range of questions. First, when it comes to Palestine, I very clearly outlined at the European Council this country's intention to recognise the state of Palestine. I believe we should do it this month, and that is what I am working towards with colleagues in Government, the three parties in Government and also with European counterparts, including the Prime Minister of Spain and other colleagues I have spoken with and will speak to in the hours ahead.

Regarding the issue of trade and the like, I very clearly - and I want Deputy Boyd Barrett to know this - voiced at the European Council again my position and, I believe, Ireland's position regarding the need to review the association agreement. We are only one of two countries, along with Spain, which signed a letter to the Commission President with regard to that. While I am extraordinarily pro-European in my outlook, I do believe that European credibility gets damaged globally when we take or, certainly in the eyes of many in the world, are seen to take a different stance regarding one humanitarian catastrophe versus the other. We should be using every single lever at our disposal to bring about an immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution. That is the approach I take when I attend the European Council. It is the approach I took at my first one, and the approach I will continue to take as well.

On Deputy Barry's point, we did not discuss the Government's SME package at the European Council but the Deputy raised an important issue, so allow me to deal with it. First, there is no proposal from the Government with regard to the minimum wage. I am very proud of the fact that we set up a Low Pay Commission. I am very proud of the way that structure operates with regard to workers' representatives and business representatives. It does its work and generally reports during the summer. It is true to say that the minimum wage increased by, I think, €1.40 an hour about five months ago. That was an increase of about 12% at a time when inflation was just over 5%, so it was a real-term increase. The Low Pay Commission will continue to do its work. My party, and the Government of three parties I am proud to lead, remains firmly pro-worker and pro making sure people who go to work can make a decent wage and have money in their pockets, whether that is through reductions in childcare, the introduction of parental leave, which has been a real assistance to many, the introduction of a first statutory sick pay scheme, and increasing take-home pay through a combination of minimum wage increases and tax reductions on work for low and middle income workers.

We have to recognise - and I welcome the fact the Deputy is not opposed to this - the need to support small business. We should not pit one group against another. It was always the intention, when we brought in a statutory sick pay scheme, that there would be review of impact by the ESRI, in a piece of research. That will happen but nobody is talking about rolling back the scheme that is in place. It is a question of the pace at which that scheme accelerates and we will be led by the research and evidence on that. However, when the Deputy says "hands off the minimum wage", I can assure him our hands are firmly off the minimum wage because we believe in the minimum wage. This Government has presided over many increases to the minimum wage.

In response to Deputy Haughey, I was very pleased with the discussion we had. I was very pleased, first, by the work done by Enrico Letta, the former Italian Prime Minister who has done the European Union and all its member states some service in the report he produced on the Single Market. It is not for me to speak for Enrico Letta but I very much got the sense from his report and presentation that there is still a view that the Single Market is for some businesses, perhaps larger ones, but not for the small and medium enterprises, and for some citizens but not all of them.

There is a real sense of how to have a Single Market for all. I very much welcome that we made a decision to have a new strategic direction and roadmap for the deepening of the Single Market by June 2025.

I also welcomed the fact that we had a recognition of the importance of the capital markets union. We agreed on a conclusion and some text in relation to that because we are seeing a massive outflow of investment from the European Union, including from Ireland, to other parts of the world. At a time when we need so much investment in so many key areas in Europe, it makes sense to try to harness and capture that investment within the EU. The capital markets union is essential for that.

I largely covered Deputy Ó Murchú’s points. The Irish position on Palestine is clear and I think it is heard on the European stage. We have to recognise that there is a diversity of opinions among member states. The point Deputy Haughey made is significant. It is now the unanimous view of the European Council that there needs to be an immediate ceasefire, an immediate cessation of violence, in the Middle East. That is a reflection of what the Irish position has been since the start of this horrific humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.