Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with the President of the European Commission. [21330/24]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with the President of the European Commission. [21746/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together.

I met the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on 11 April. Ireland’s membership of the European Union is of great importance to our national prosperity, well-being, and indeed, to our sense of identity and I undertook an early visit to Brussels as a signal of my commitment to continuing our excellent and co-operative relations with all of its institutions. My meeting with President von der Leyen took place on the same day I met the President of the European Council and the President of the European Parliament, that is, the three presidents of European institutions. The meeting with President von der Leyen covered many of the significant issues that are currently on the EU’s agenda. We discussed the very worrying situation in Ukraine and the country’s urgent need for continuing financial support. I conveyed the same message to President von der Leyen as I did to President Zelenskyy when I spoke to him, that is, the Irish Government remains steadfast in our support for Ukraine and will continue to assist in whatever way we can, consistent with our policy of military neutrality. Ukraine is fighting not just for its own territorial integrity and sovereignty, but for the shared fundamental European values of democracy and freedom. President von der Leyen and I agreed that Ukraine’s future lies within the European Union. I expressed my thanks for the work the Commission is doing in that regard and I expressed my hope that formal negotiations with Ukraine can begin under the Belgian Presidency of the European Council.

On the Middle East and on Gaza, I again expressed my very strong wish, and that of the Irish people, to see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and a massive and sustained surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza. I acknowledged and thanked her for her role in ensuring that the EU aid to UNRWA remained in place. In such a desperate situation, the role UNRWA plays in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank and elsewhere in the region, is indispensable.

We also discussed the Single Market and the need to ensure the EU’s competitiveness. Without economic prosperity, Europe will not be able to fund its policy ambitions into the future. Ensuring a deep and strong Single Market, built on a level playing field for citizens and enterprises, coupled with an ambitious, rules-based trade agenda, is therefore essential. A vibrant and sustainable farming sector is also a vital part of the EU’s future economic and food security. I expressed my view that we need to do more to support the farming and agricultural sector, which is currently facing significant pressures. I welcomed the conversation we had about not deciding whether you are on the side of climate or on the side of farmers but the need to have both food security and to recognise that there is a climate emergency. The EU is working quickly to address the concerns of Europe's farmers and to implement measures that will allow that greater flexibility while also ensuring our environment is protected. President von der Leyen and I also agreed that it is in the EU’s strategic interests to ensure a strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the EU and the UK. President von der Leyen and I also met at the special meeting of the European Council on 17 and 18 April.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I offer my thoughts and wishes to the family of Pat Muckian who died last night following an attack in Dundalk on 3 May. Pat was very respected and was a member of a hugely respected family in Dundalk that has been through a huge tragedy. I wish to put that on record.

Regarding the European Commission and the rules on tendering, we all know we need to see accountability and transparency and need to ensure there is due diligence. However, we have seen the issues related to lowest cost tenders and it is absolutely vital we have an emphasis on the ability to deliver. I imagine the Taoiseach cannot be happy about how the news of the contract being awarded for the Narrow Water Bridge made its way into the public domain via the X account of Construction Information Services NI. Councillor Antóin Watters and I are obviously very supportive of this project but we were in correspondence with Louth County Council, which stated it did not put the information out there as the lead. The county council also stated that the contract figure is not necessarily correct. We all support this project and we all need to see it continue. It is an absolutely fabulous cross-Border project that will be brilliant for my part of the world, both North and South. It is about making sure we have absolute follow-through and due diligence is done regarding the contract, the price and the time of delivering the project. We need to make sure there are no more hiccups or obstacles.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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In his discussions with President Ursula von der Leyen, did the Taoiseach discuss the nature restoration law? In his view, is she still committed to the European Green Deal to tackle climate change? With the European Parliament elections coming up, there is a view that the European People's Party is becoming less committed to climate change and to taking the appropriate measures. Did the Taoiseach get any sense of a pulling-back from the green deal by Ursula von der Leyen?

The second question, having regard to a previous question, refers to relations between the EU and the Republic of Türkiye. It is clear that Türkiye is not about to join the European Union any time soon. I have no doubt President Erdoğan has something to do with that. Is Türkiye open to the prospects for closer co-operation with the EU? Are concrete and practical steps being taken for this closer co-operation, which, as the Taoiseach said earlier, will help to bring peace and stability to the region?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Ursula von der Leyen embodies the shocking and blatant double standards that have been displayed by the European Union. On the one hand, she is the most gung ho for arming, supporting, or whatever is necessary in terms of Ukraine being faced with a brutal and illegal invasion. She then stands beside Netanyahu as he embarks on what we can now see is a genocidal murderous massacre against the Palestinian people, the blood of whom she has on her hands for the position she took. She continues to defend the indefensible in the unwavering support for Israel and its so-called security when it is massacring people. When she visited here, I pointed out that this was the Ursula von der Leyen who had, as German defence minister, done arms deals no problem with Saudi Arabia. It is a brutal dictatorship; sell it arms. I honestly ask, given the disrepute into which she has brought the European Union regarding these things, should we not be saying publicly that she is not the person who should be leading the European condition and the European Union? She has brought the EU into disrepute, embodies those double standards and she should be removed from office and certainly not get another term.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I join with Deputy Ó Murchú in extending my sympathies to the family of Pat from Dundalk and I associate myself with the Deputy's remarks. I also welcome the Deputy's commitment to the Narrow Water Bridge, which President von der Leyen and I did not discuss directly. Having said that, I know the importance of the bridge to this country, to the Deputy's region and the constituency he represents. I also take seriously the points about timelines and delivery of that project. I am very happy to ask the relevant line Ministers to keep the Deputy up to date on this as well.

On Deputy Haughey's question, President von der Leyen and I discussed the importance of climate, the European Green Deal and addressing the farmers. At a European level, we have a more magnified example of what can sometimes happen in this country where people are asked to chose wrongly, bizarrely, sometimes by the commentariat, sometimes in this House, sometimes for people's own narrow political interests, if they are on the side of the climate emergency or on the side of the farmers. Actually, Government public policy has to be able to do more than one thing at a time. We have a climate emergency, we have a green deal at European level, and we have the nature restoration law for which the Deputy's own MEP colleagues and mine voted as well. That was the right call and history will judge that to be the right call. I believe President von der Leyen remains committed to the green deal. However, there is also a recognition at a European level that is now also at an Irish level, that there is a need to bring people with you by showing people the transition, how you can continue to have an agrifood sector and encourage young people to get involved in farming in a way that is environmentally sustainable. We had a good conversation on this.

I was pleased - and I can send the Deputy a note on this - that language was agreed regarding Türkiye and engagement. While the Deputy may well be right, and I think he is, regarding timelines for any future enlargement of the European Union in respect of Türkiye, it is important to the region and the stability of the European Union to have good relations.

I was pleased that there were EU Council conclusions in April in relation to that.

Anybody's tenure in any role has to be viewed in the round. At the start, the European Commission's position regarding Israel and the Middle East was not where it needed to be, to put it mildly. It is also important to remember that the European Council, European foreign ministers and others are those that provide the mandate in respect of these comments. There is an obligation on us all as European leaders to continue to advocate for an immediate cessation of violence in the Middle East.