Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I am glad that Europe is still as popular as ever. I am sure the Members who are due to arrive will arrive very soon. I suppose, given the order of the Dáil, I must go ahead. I am glad to join the Ceann Comhairle and the people of Ireland to mark Europe Day 2025. This year, we mark not only Europe Day, but also a remarkable milestone in our shared history, that is, the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. Seventy-five years ago, on 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman proposed a visionary new form of political co-operation in Europe, one that would make war between European nations not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible. His words were shaped by the trauma of two world wars and gave birth to an idea that would eventually become the European Union as we know it today. Schuman’s declaration opened with a striking truth that remains just as urgent now as it was then. He stated that, "World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it". It is that creative effort, that sense of purpose and imagination, harnessed through unity, that we celebrate today.

Europe was rebuilt from the ashes of destruction through reconciliation and integration, not domination or division. Today, as we reflect on the foundations of peace in Europe, we cannot ignore that war has returned to our continent. Recently, I returned from an official visit to Ukraine, where I travelled to Odesa and Kyiv with my Lithuanian colleague, Deputy Foreign Minister, Sigitas Mitkus. It was a deeply moving experience that reminded me again of the urgency and relevance of Europe’s founding ideals. Despite the relentless brutality of Russia’s illegal and unjustified war of aggression, I saw the determination, the dignity and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. They are defending not only their land, but also the European values of democracy, sovereignty and the rule of law. Ukraine sees its future as one within the European family. We in Ireland fully support that vision.

Since the beginning of this war, the European Union has shown unity and leadership, providing Ukraine with unprecedented levels of financial, military and humanitarian support. Let us be clear: the threat Ukraine faces is not only existential for its people, but it is also a threat to the stability and security of Europe as a whole.

We all want peace but how we achieve it matters. Any resolution must have Ukraine at its centre and any peace must be just, lasting, and one in which Ukraine is empowered to negotiate from a position of strength. Ireland supports ongoing diplomatic efforts, including recent proposals for ceasefire arrangements, and welcomes renewed US engagement in pursuit of a peaceful resolution.

The situation in the Middle East also remains a central foreign policy priority for Ireland and the EU. It has been over nine weeks since food, medicines and other essential supplies have been allowed to enter Gaza. We have reports from the World Food Programme that food supplies are running out, with famine now a real risk for many in Gaza. Ireland and its EU partners have repeatedly urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. Ireland and the European Union must be clear that this situation is unacceptable and that obstructing life-saving aid is a violation of Israel’s international obligations. Ireland and the EU must be unequivocal in our calls on Israel to immediately lift the blockade and allow for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. The European Union can and should continue to do more to use the levers at its disposal to exert pressure on Israel. This remains a priority for Ireland’s continuing engagement at EU level.

Russia’s aggression has transformed the European security landscape and has laid bare the vulnerabilities that we face, from conventional warfare to cyberattacks, energy coercion, and disinformation campaigns. Ireland, while a militarily neutral state, is not a neutral party when it comes to violations of international law, human rights, or the sovereignty of our neighbours. We are, and remain, an active contributor to European and international security in a manner consistent with our long-standing policy of neutrality. That neutrality must be underpinned by credibility and capability. We have already significantly increased our defence spending, with investment going towards modernising our Defence Forces and developing strategic capabilities. Maritime security has become increasingly vital because our exclusive economic zone is nearly seven times the size of our land mass. The safeguarding of critical undersea infrastructure, including telecommunications cables and energy connections, is a priority. Likewise, our defences against cyber and hybrid threats are being strengthened. Disinformation, espionage, and foreign interference are real risks to our democracy and we are working with our EU partners to counter these challenges collectively. Ireland welcomes the European Commission’s White Paper for European Defence, Readiness 2030, which is a practical step towards ensuring that member states are equipped to respond to shared threats. We support deeper co-operation but we know there will always be respect for our sovereign choices and constitutional parameters.

The European Union has been an engine of peace and prosperity for over half a century. It has helped us to transform economically, socially, and politically since we joined over 50 years ago. Membership of the EU has given Ireland a platform to amplify our voice on the global stage. It has given our people the freedom to live, study, and work across 27 countries. It has opened markets for our businesses, advanced gender equality, safeguarded workers' rights, and underpinned investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation. Most importantly, the EU has helped to anchor our own democratic development and supported Ireland through some of the most challenging chapters in our history, from the global financial crisis, to Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic. For Ireland, membership of the European Union is an essential part of who we are as a people. It is important to remind ourselves that we are the European Union. The success of our membership has been recognised by the Irish people. According to the most recent Eurobarometer, 91% of Irish citizens believe we have benefitted from EU membership, the highest approval rating in the Union. We are one of the success stories of the EU and in return we have given back, not only as a net contributor to the European budget, but by being a reliable, constructive, and outward-looking member of the Union and working together to achieve progress for everybody, including ourselves.

Ireland is an advocate of EU enlargement. We believe that all European countries that meet the Copenhagen criteria should have the opportunity to join the Union. Ukraine and Moldova are undertaking bold reforms under incredibly difficult circumstances. The countries of the western Balkans, particularly Albania and Montenegro, are advancing key legislative and institutional reforms. To support this process, Ireland will open new embassies this year in Belgrade, Chisinau, and Sarajevo. We have also established a new accession assistance fund to help candidate countries reach EU standards. These are tangible signs of our belief in the European project and our commitment to shaping its future. As we look ahead to Ireland’s EU Presidency in 2026, we intend to keep enlargement high on the agenda,not only as a political process, but as a reaffirmation of Europe’s purpose which is to bring peace, stability and democracy to all its peoples.

At the heart of the EU is a community that values of democracy, equality, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. These principles are enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. We face unprecedented geopolitical instability at this time, from Russian aggression on the doorstep of Europe, to the rise of extremism and a new transatlantic trading relationship. Standing for our values has never been so consequential. When these values are undermined, whether by attacks on judicial independence, freedom of expression, or minority rights, the credibility and cohesion of the entire Union are at risk. Ireland is firmly committed to upholding these values at home and abroad. We support strong EU mechanisms to monitor rule of law compliance and to act decisively when necessary. We owe it to our citizens and to those beyond our borders who look to the EU as a beacon of democracy to stand firm in defence of these principles.

As we celebrate Europe’s achievements, we must also remain focused on building its future. In an era of intense global competition, maintaining and enhancing the EU’s competitiveness is paramount which means investing in skills, innovation, research and development. It also means removing barriers to doing business, particularly for SMEs, and completing the Single Market. We want to cut red tape for business. We want to expand the Single Market to make sure it delivers for services and digital technologies. Ireland welcomes the European Commission’s focus on competitiveness and simplification or, as I like to call it, cutting red tape. We support efforts to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and to create a more dynamic, flexible, and innovation-friendly internal market. We also strongly support the EU’s efforts to accelerate investment in strategic infrastructure, especially in energy and digital networks. As a country possessed of renewable resources, particularly offshore wind, Ireland has an opportunity to become a key supplier of clean energy to Europe, provided we make the necessary investments in grid infrastructure and interconnections.

Europe is not just a project of states but is also a project of people. To succeed, it must resonate in the daily lives of our citizens. That is why public engagement, civic education, and cultural exchange are so important, particularly for our youth. Programmes like Erasmus+, Creative Europe, and DiscoverEU offer young people transformative experiences. They broaden horizons, build friendships, and foster a sense of shared European identity. Ireland is committed to ensuring that our young people can access these opportunities, and that our citizens are well-informed and empowered to shape the EU’s direction. In recent years, we have seen how essential public trust is to European co-operation, whether in responding to a pandemic, addressing climate change, or confronting geopolitical threats. We must maintain and strengthen that trust through transparency, inclusion, and open dialogue.

As we mark Europe Day 2025, we honour a legacy built on hope and hard-won peace. The European Union was born out of catastrophe, chaos and war but built through courage. Its success lies not in perfection, because nothing is perfect, but in the capacity of its member states, parliamentary representatives and Commissioners to work together, resolve differences, and stand united in the face of adversity. Today, we recommit to that legacy and to the values of peace, solidarity, democracy, and the rule of law that underpin it. Again I say, we are the European Union. It is so important when talking about the European Union not to say "the EU did this" or "the EU did that" because we are the EU. The MEPs decide on laws, along with the member states. Nobody else is responsible for that. The Commission proposes them. We must, at all times, support, uphold and protect the institutions of the European Union because they protect us. Those institutions, whether the Parliament, Council or Commission, are populated by people who have either been democratically elected or appointed by democratically-elected people. They are valuable and have delivered for the people. If we want to influence them, we must vote and put people in that will influence them in the way we wish. As we prepare to assume the very important Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026, we will continue to champion European values, to deepen our engagement with EU partners, and to play our full part in shaping the Europe of tomorrow.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Beidh mé ag roinnt ama leis na Teachtaí Crowe, McGuinness agus Bennett nuair a thagann siad.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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We mark Europe Day today, which reflects the history of and how the European Union came to be, and the very significant role it has played in Irish politics and history. We reflect on the positive elements of our relationship with the European Union as well as the areas of concern that require to be addressed. It is Sinn Féin's view and policy that Ireland's place is in the EU, but it is also our view - I see the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, smiling.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, I smiled when Deputy Ó Laoghaire said that. It does not mean anything.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Perhaps he would like to clarify.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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No, the Deputy should go ahead.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is there a particular point the Minister of State would like to make?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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It is Deputy Ó Laoghaire's time.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I will continue to speak if Deputy Ó Laoghaire wants. I will tell him all about Sinn Féin's European policy.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I would like the Minister of State to elaborate.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Laoghaire has the floor so he should please continue.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I invite the Minister to comment because I have heard him and some of his colleagues attempt to make mischief with Sinn Féin's analysis of the European Union. It is not terribly complicated: it is possible to be in an organisation and to criticise it. It is possible to retain the view that Ireland should be in the EU and to say that things could go better, for example, in terms of foreign policy or the balance between sovereignty and international co-operation. It is not terribly complicated. Perhaps the next time the Minister of State has a debate with a Sinn Féin representative, he might consider that it is not such a complex position. In fact, I suspect it is a view shared by the majority of the Irish public.

We are for a European Union that works better for the people of Ireland and the people of Europe. We are also for a European Union that supports its member states, listens to what those states need and understands that most decisions are better taken as close as possible to the communities affected by them. It is important that the European Union focuses on what matters to workers and families: the cost-of-living crisis, improving workers' wages and conditions, regional development, economic development and enabling young people to work, study and travel throughout the Union.

There are times when the European Union has played a positive role in Ireland. The approach that was taken by the EU on Brexit was very important. However, at other times the Union has not always helped itself or its reputation. Many people in Ireland still bear the scars of the austerity approach taken by the leadership of the European Union. As we discuss EU policies, it is also important that we reflect upon its current role in the Middle East. What is happening in Gaza is an absolute atrocity. It is catastrophic. We have often heard the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Taoiseach, as well as various previous Ministers for Foreign Affairs, talk about a two-state solution. It seems that Israel is trying to permanently undermine the viability of a two-state solution. Food, aid and medicine are blocked from getting into Gaza in the face of human suffering and a humanitarian catastrophe of a kind that we have not witnessed in a long time. This is going on almost two years into this catastrophe, and it continues to escalate. The blockade has continued for some two months.

The EU's voice during these events has been weakened by its failure to speak for its values throughout this series of barbaric human rights abuses and offences. Israel continues on this route because it has been allowed to act with impunity. Many European states have had very little to say. At times, the Irish Government has made stronger statements than some of its European peers. We have welcomed that when it has happened, but it is time for more to be said. I listened with interest to what the former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, said in this Chamber a couple of weeks ago. He stated that since the election the Government has perhaps drawn back from previous positions. Now is not the time for that. I cannot read the mind of the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne or the mind of the Tánaiste. I will not attempt to do so. If there is any sense that Ireland has done enough, surely in the context of what is happening at this moment in time, that cannot continue. The Government is looking at watering down the occupied territories Bill. That should not happen and the Government should not walk away from it. The Bill must be pursued.

We have ten minutes of our time remaining and as I am not sure whether the other speakers will arrive I might continue for another two minutes.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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That is fine.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I emphasise once again that the European Union must play a much stronger role. It was a source of great concern that it took so long to get a meeting to discuss the EU-Israel agreement. The fact is that favourable trade arrangements remain in place. I note the role of the EPP in voting against stopping the flow of arms to Israel.

The Government's approach to the triple lock neutrality protection puts our neutrality at risk. The EU should respect Ireland's neutrality. It has always explicitly stated that is the case but it is incumbent on the Government to continue to stand up for Irish neutrality. The current approach to the triple lock neutrality protection will undermine that.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Sinn Féin is often accused of being Eurosceptic. We often hear that thrown around this Chamber as an insult or a lame response to an alternative voice. We are not Eurosceptic: we believe in a partnership of European nations working towards the advancement of human rights, social justice and democratic values. What we cannot support, and will never support, is a federal militarised Europe that closes its doors to those in need and hides its face from tyranny and oppression.

The European Union stands at a crossroads as it grapples with growing global instability and the pressure from the Commission to adopt a more militarised approach to security. Europe cannot turn its focus solely towards militarisation at the expense of social justice, human rights and the pursuit of peace and democracy. If we lose sight of the objectives that make up the bedrock of the European project, everything that the Community has worked for since the Second World War will have been in vain.

Supporting global initiatives aimed at addressing climate change, poverty and inequality will always be far more effective in securing lasting peace than an arms race or military intervention. Militarisation only divides society, creating an "us versus them" mentality, and fuelling racism, nationalism and distrust. The EU should never have been about creating fortress Europe.

The Union has a unique role to play as a soft power capable of setting an example for diplomacy, human rights and sustainable development. By prioritising social justice, the EU can address the root causes of social unrest, inequality and exclusion, which are the breeding grounds of conflict and division. Programmes that reduce poverty, increase access to education and ensure fair working conditions create more resilient societies. These are the foundations upon which a lasting peace can be built, not military force or aggressive posturing.

Redirecting billions of euro into social programmes such as healthcare, education, affordable housing and clean energy would yield long-term benefits, improve the quality of life for millions of Europeans and reduce the pressures that often lead to radicalisation and conflict. The EU must reject militarisation in favour of social justice. This approach not only aligns with the European values of social solidarity, human dignity and democracy, but also offers the best chance of creating a stable, just and peaceful future for us all.

The EU has often positioned itself as a global leader on issues of peace and humanitarian aid, but it has lost sight of its founding principles of human rights, democracy and justice. Nowhere is this more plain than in the response to the plight of the Palestinian people. The European Union's credibility has been severely undermined by its failure to effectively aid Palestinians in the face of ongoing violence and genocide.

Its response to the Palestinian plight has been one of bland statements and diplomatic posturing rather than meaningful intervention. In recent years and decades Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank have led to widespread death, displacement and suffering among Palestinians with little or no account from the EU. The Union has repeatedly called for a ceasefire but has failed to take concrete action to curb the violence or hold Israel accountable for breaches of international law. Worse still, the Palestinians are painted as the cause of their own suffering. Meanwhile Palestinians face years of systemic oppression, dispossession and denial of human rights. Now they face ethnic cleansing and genocide. This inaction is morally and politically indefensible. By prioritising trade relations with Israel over human rights, the EU has alienated itself from its core values and lost the trust of both European and global citizens who view its passivity as complicity.

If the EU is to remain as a credible advocate for peace and justice, it must confront the realities of the situation in Palestine and actively support the protection of Palestinian lives and rights. The EU was founded to prevent war not to prepare for it. By leading with diplomacy, justice and humanitarian aid, the EU can be a global example of peaceful leadership. A safer, fairer and inclusive world starts with respecting and protecting the rights of all people. That is the Europe in which Ireland should be a leader and not a follower.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Crowe must conclude as his time is up.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Europe Day should be a moment for us in Ireland to reflect on our place in the European Union, on what we have achieved as part of the European Union but also what we have failed to achieve and what has been stilted through our membership and through some of the policies of the European Union. We have seen some real benefits to rural areas from our membership of the EU over the decades, including programmes such as LEADER. Unfortunately under its latest iteration, the LEADER programme, an EU-funded rural diversification programme, has resulted in money being cut to rural communities across Ireland.

We also have to be real and look at the Irish fishing industry, which has not done well out of EU membership. All sides of the House can agree that our fishing industry has been a sacrificial lamb since the 1970s when it comes to our place in Europe. We have to be real about these issues, we have to acknowledge them and we have to reflect on them. We also have to speak honestly to our European partners about these issues and seek to have them remedied. We also need to learn a lesson about the fate of marginal areas within Europe away from the core. We need to make sure that our rural areas are looked after and that they are not forgotten and left behind.

In this debate we cannot ignore the erosion of Ireland's neutrality and the movement at pace from within government, particularly in Fine Gael, but also from Fianna Fáil and the Taoiseach, who are pushing the agenda to strip Ireland of its cherished position of military neutrality. As a State, we have never been neutral on oppression, social justice, rights and humanitarian issues but we have been militarily neutral because we understand what it is to be a colony. We need to not get sucked into the machinations of former colonial powers.

The EU-Israel association agreement needs to be scrapped. Israel is committing genocide before the eyes of the world and is thumbing its nose at the international community. To those within the international community calling it out for its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people, it is thumbing its nose, happy to continue on because there are no meaningful sanctions. The Government, if it is to put action behind its words, needs to take these meaningful actions. If EU member states will not act to call it out, we must act unilaterally.

Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Is Europe Day a day to celebrate? It is certainly not for Irish farm families who have weathered a tough decade with Brexit, the pandemic and increasing input costs compounded by the energy crisis. It is unforgivable that uncertainty is thrust upon them by their own Government as has been for the case for nearly a decade regarding the Mercosur trade agreement with both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil being seemingly either in favour or against it depending on how close an election might be. While the programme for Government commits to defending Ireland's interests in the terms of the deal, only last month Fine Gael MEPs voted against an amendment supported by Sinn Féin mandating that the European Commission abandon the deal, which could result in the European market being flooded with upwards of 100,000 tonnes of beef and nearly twice as much poultry. This would involve meat and chicken produced to lower standards than Irish farmers must meet, and beef produced at the cost of extreme deforestation while the Government continues to fail to implement a workable afforestation regime for our farmers.

All the while it continues to hurl new TB regulations at Irish producers to account for the fact that its TB eradication scheme continues to fail. There are additional regulations on peat farmers, often among the most sustainable farmers, while the Government remains a bad debtor to farmers on ACRES. This Government of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil has yet to come across a problem where it does not see a solution in more regulations of farmers or withholding their money. Europe was once a level playing field with the Common Agricultural Policy at its heart. That is not the case today - neither with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil or with their partners in the Commission.

I will be critical of Europe where it is appropriate but the Government parties undermine Europe when they seek to replace Irish producers with less environmental and more intensive alternatives or regulate them out of business entirely especially when they are not upfront about it.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy needs to conclude.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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I am sharing time with Deputy Duncan Smith.

Europe Day is one of the forgotten holidays. Many people do not know what or why it is, or even that it is being celebrated on 9 May. There is some idea that there is a vague connection with the Ode to Joy all right, but that is where the interest stops. I was lucky that at my old school the German teacher, Anita Irwin, makes a point of celebrating and highlighting Europe Day every year. She has had two MEPs in to meet the students in the past two years based on her passion for the day and the importance of celebrating our shared goals and values. In a world that is as it has been in the past couple of months, Ireland's membership of the European Union is more critical to our future than it ever has been.

We have benefited almost uniquely from our membership since 1973. We went from rural and agricultural economy to a high-tech services-based economy. We often forget that regardless of what we do with corporation tax, the fundamental reason for economic growth in the past 30 years is our access to the EU Single Market, a single market that we have yet to fully implement. In a world where the Trump Administration is looking to put tariff barriers up, we, as member states, should be looking to remove barriers among ourselves, particularly in the service sector to create a truly integrated market so we can increase trade among the member states. We can no longer have 27 separate regulation systems for 27 member states and wonder why Europe cannot produce a Google or an Apple, something that can be worldwide. Negotiations need to open on the harmonisation of these regulations particularly in the digital space.

It was Europe and the promises that it can hold that actually got me into politics. It was the revised Lisbon treaty that got me to stop hurling on the ditch, get out the street and get involved as I fundamentally believed, and still do, that European solidarity is something to celebrate. That solidarity served Ireland well during the Brexit negotiations to ensure that there were no checkpoints put on this island. Without EU backing, it is hard to say that we would have had the same outcome if it was us negotiating directly with our neighbours. I found it hugely concerning that those who opposed the likes of the Nice and Lisbon treaties did not put forward an alternative vision of how Ireland would trade without Single Market access.

It seemed to me that the attitude was that we would cross that bridge when we got to it. We no longer have to wonder what would have happened. We can look at what happened with our nearest neighbours following Brexit. There was no plan and the British Office for National Statistics has said that in the long term the UK will experience a 15% reduction in trade as a consequence of the barriers it put up post Brexit.

A number of Members of the House and Irish MEPs still question whether it was a good idea to join the euro. I look at their position and the damage it would cause Ireland with the same withering scepticism that they seem to look at the European project. I am not dogmatic enough to believe that everything is perfect and rosy in the European system. Europe is a story of two steps forward and one step back. It will always need to be refined and reformed. At a meeting with the delegation of Denmark today we, along with Deputy Lahart, discussed how it is necessary that others not pre-empt or dictate the future of Europe based on the unanimity rule. Despite all of its detractors, the EU has kept peace between member states since 1945. Further co-operation, as outlined under the Treaty of Rome, and the promises contained in the Treaty of Rome need to be fulfilled so that we can ensure the sustainability of Ireland and the European Union into the future.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe, but as we know and are witnessing there is no peace in Gaza and the occupied territories at this moment. This is a huge responsibility and weakness in the foreign policy of the European Union and how it operates in its neighbourhood. It is now more than 50 days since any food or medicine has been allowed into Gaza. Europe, with a few exceptions - Ireland being one and Spain another - has, by and large, remained silent. If not silent, it has tacitly supported Israel's actions in Gaza. The statement a couple of days ago from Benjamin Netanyahu that operations would increase means that, in essence, what has been happening until now has been some kind of operation that has been holding itself back and things will go full force with an almost full-scale invasion. Yet, Europe still remain silent.

We in this House have called for the occupied territories Bill to be passed. We all know the extent of that proposed legislation and the limited impact it would have. We know how important the symbolic nature of the Bill is, more so than anything else. At least it is something. We in Europe need to go even further. We need to escalate cultural, sporting and academic boycotts of Israel. The Eurovision Song Contest is coming up in a couple weeks. Israel should be allowed to take part and celebrate something as fun and joyful on the Continent of Europe and globally as Eurovision. It should be kicked out. It should not be allowed to participate in any sporting events. The same was done, and rightly so, with Russia over the past couple of years.

Yet, Israel is still allowed to take part in international events as if it is a mature, responsible and peaceful member of the global community. It is not. It is a rogue nation that is inflicting genocide on the people of Gaza - I do not use the word "genocide" lightly or easily. However, when a country is systematically starving an ethnically homogenous population, exercising huge military dominance over them and physically pushing them south out of their lands, there is no other word for it. For Europe to celebrate Europe Day and peace and unity while this is happening before our very eyes gives a lie to the underpinning of the European Union and what makes the European Union, at least in theory, a great coming together of nations.

Europe needs to reflect on itself and act. The United States is remaking the global world order in terms of its relationship. I will use the words of the former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who is not someone of my political persuasion, to illustrate a point. He said the United States cannot be trusted as an international partner any more. That is regrettable, but it is a fact. The European Union needs to step into the breach as an economic and cultural power and voice for peace. It is failing in its first go because of what it is allowing to happen in Gaza. It is not even speaking out against Israel, never mind what we are calling for in terms of cultural, academic and sporting sanctions.

Again, such action will not save any lives in Gaza but it will bring home to every person, organisation and part of society in Israel that we in Ireland and Europe will not support its actions. We want Israel to pull back, revert to a policy of peace and ensure that the people of Gaza can help to rebuild their communities and society which have been destroyed as a result of 20 months of active aggression. We need to make sure Europe will not stand for another minute, never mind a day, of blockades of medicine, food and water. This is intolerable to the spirit of the European Union. It is intolerable to the people of Ireland and the majority of people in the Chamber. It should be intolerable to every single European state, but by its silence, acquiescence and support of Israel it is not. It is doing a disservice to what the European Union should be and is making a mockery of Europe Day.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Every year on 9 May we celebrate Europe Day. It is an occasion which is more than just history. It is a celebration of peace, partnership and progress. The European Union, whose membership has supported a remarkable economic and social transformation in Ireland, is, at its heart, a peace project. It was founded on the simple but powerful idea that countries can achieve more by working together, solving problems collectively and improving the lives of their people.

On 9 May 1950, the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, had a simple but powerful idea. He proposed that European countries start working together on coal and steel, two key resources used to make weapons. His thinking was that if countries relied on each other for the basics of industry and defence, they would become so connected that war between them would no longer make sense. It was a practical step towards peace and laid the groundwork for the European Union we know and benefit from today. This year's Europe Date marks 75 years since the Schuman Declaration and the speech that laid the foundation for the European Coal and Steel Community, which would later evolve into the European Union.

Now, more than ever, it is worth pausing to reflect on the origins of the EU as well as the values it continues to represent, including peace, solidarity and practical co-operation between countries. On a practical level, my Department oversees a broad range of EU-related matters. These include the cohesion policy and associated cohesion policy funds, which serve as the EU's main investment policy; the Brexit adjustment reserve, which provides support to those EU countries, regions and sectors most affected by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU; and the recovery and resilience facility, which is designed to help member states recover from the economic and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

My Department is also responsible for technical support instruments, staff regulations, public procurement, digital issues and transparency including ethics, lobbying and whistleblowing. We have input into this at an EU level.

Although reduced in scale over the years, cohesion policy remains a vital source of EU investment, with €1.3 billion allocated to Ireland for the period 2021 to 2027.

Supplemented by substantial co-funding from the Irish Government, this investment has a meaningful impact on our regions and communities.

In addition, the Department manages over €1.5 billion in grants through the recovery and resilience facility. That is all about facilitating and supporting a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery since Covid. We also oversee €802 million from the Brexit adjustment reserve, which, as I mentioned earlier, represents an important response by the European Union to counter the adverse social and economic consequences of the departure of the UK. Separately, the Irish Government, together with the EU and the UK, has provided €1.1 billion through the PEACEPLUS programme to support peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the Border counties. This builds on the legacy of the PEACE and INTERREG programmes. It reflects the EU's deep and lasting commitment to peacebuilding and reconciliation on the island of Ireland for more than 25 years. In addition to these funds, Irish agriculture continues to benefit from the Common Agricultural Policy. Irish researchers have valuable access to Horizon Europe.

Our economy, businesses and workforce all continue to thrive through the huge opportunities offered by the Single Market, but the EU means more than financial transfers and international markets. It is underpinned by values, of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, including the rights of people to belong to minorities and the rule of law. As we mark 75 years since the Schuman declaration, we also celebrate another milestone, which is 25 years since the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. That charter is more than words and paper. It protects the values that bind us together, including pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and gender equality. They are values that every member state has pledged to uphold. That, above all else, is the true achievement of the European project. It is what we honour and celebrate today. Lá na hEorpa faoi mhaise daoibh go léir.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Tá mé thar a bheith bródúil labhairt ar an ábhar seo. Tá sé tábhachtach dúinn mar thír, ach tá sé tábhachtach domsa freisin mar Theachta Dála. The value that we have as part of the European Union is enormous, so I am hugely proud to consider myself a European but also to speak on this topic in this House, in the week when we celebrate Europe Day. I am cognisant of the fact that 91% of people in Ireland value our membership of the European Union. That is the highest rate of support that the European Union has in any European country. For me, the European Union is important because we as a country achieved independence 100 years ago but when you look back to 1922, you could certainly say that it was a very qualified independence. We still had the British monarch as the head of state in this country. We still had a situation where we were tied to sterling in monetary affairs. The UK was a massive part of our export market and we were very economically dependent on it. Similarly, looking at the courts, decisions made by UK courts were still binding on judges in this jurisdiction.

It has taken us a long time to emerge from that level of independence and to be a truly sovereign country where we genuinely make our decisions and we genuinely stand on our own two feet. There is no doubt that being part of the European Union has allowed us to do that in a tangible way. Post Independence, we still had a foreign head of state. It was not until we had our own Constitution that we started to assert our independence. With the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, which came into effect in 1949, which was the thirty-third anniversary of the Rising, we started to assert our real independence and really stand on our own feet. On 15 February 1971, our currency was changed to the decimal system, marking the end of hundreds of years of trading in crowns, shillings and pence. Other countries such as France have been doing this since the 18th century, but this was the first opportunity for Ireland to break away from the imperial monetary system in the United Kingdom and establish our independence in that regard.

In 1973, we joined the European Union, along with Denmark and the United Kingdom. That was an important turning point for Ireland, saying that we no longer lived in the shadow of the United Kingdom but instead joined this bigger trading bloc and group of nations, of which there were 12 at the time, as an equal member. We had equality with France, Germany and other enormous European states. We joined as equal partners, which was very different from the relationship we had with the United Kingdom at that time. It was a further step down the road of independence for us. With the European monetary system in 1979, we genuinely severed the tie between the Irish pound and sterling and started to advance our own cause. Looking at where we are today, in 1973, imports into this country were valued at £1.4 billion and exports at £1.1 billion, while in 2020, imports were valued at €85.3 billion and exports exceeded €160 billion. Even accounting for inflation, that is an enormous economic turnaround. The trade opportunities that we have as part of the European Union are massive.

The opportunities we have from the basic European principle of free movement of people are also massive. Some 8.8% of Irish people of working age live in other European member states. A total of 35,000 Irish people are working in Germany and 25,000 Irish people are working in France. That opportunity is there because we are part of that larger Union and we have the opportunity to work within the European Union as equal member states and partners. The benefits are beyond dispute and important. There are cultural benefits. Many of the progressive laws that we have passed in the State have been handed down to us by the European Union, whether health and safety legislation, road safety legislation, employment rights or equal human rights. They have often come from our MEPs and Commissioners in Europe, through directives and other European instruments, to force us into doing that. We all benefit from that. European laws save lives here through food safety and work safety. There are literally people alive in this country because of the European Union. That is particularly important when looking at the fact that the European Union was a peace project.

Let us not take it for granted either. I heard already in this debate a discussion about Sinn Féin's role in European policy. The reality is that Sinn Féin has voted against everything the European Union has tried to do. It has opposed every referendum to advance our position within the European Union. I do not think Sinn Féin should resile from that. It should be honest about its opposition to it instead of trying to reform itself. If Sinn Féin is truly European, great, but let us also recognise that Europe does not happen by accident. We have to play our part and contribute. I am proud that Ireland does that and look forward to us doing it more and more in the future.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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Today, as we mark Europe Day, it is fitting that we reflect on the huge positives that the European Union has brought to our island. I see every day, first hand, how Ireland has benefited from membership of the EU through infrastructure projects. That is not to say that we should not have critical analysis. We would not be doing our job properly if we benignly accepted every aspect of it. We need to be acutely aware of what European law is during its transposition to this country. We need to have a grown-up conversation about Europe, its benefits and also the democratic deficit across the 500 million people who want to engage with the EU but want to do it in a way which does not leave people behind. I also know how much the farmers of Ireland rely on access to the EU Common Agricultural Policy, but that is not to say the good agricultural and environmental conditions, GAEC, or the way that European law is transposed here, is always correct. As legislators and parliamentarians, we must always question that and get the best for the people who we are here to serve.

For Irish businesses, access to the EU market has brought an economic dividend and employment was created. When Ireland was negotiating its peace agreement in 1998, the EU supported and underpinned the fledgling peace process with targeted financial support which has made a real impact, particularly in the North. Following Brexit, despite voting to remain, the North was removed from the European Union. During the tumultuous period, the EU supported Ireland, protecting both our peace agreement and economic interests. In April 2017, the EU asserted that in the event of reunification, the North will automatically re-enter membership of the European Union. This is simple but profoundly important. It guarantees in economic terms that there will be no question about the status of the North. I hope that in the event of Irish unity, direct support will continue to come from the EU.

It is important to say that while we recognise and commend the positive aspects, our endorsement cannot be unequivocal. The EU has been found severely wanting in response to the ongoing slaughter in Palestine and the disgraceful human rights and international law violations Israel is perpetrating at this time. Shame on Israel and shame on this Government for failing to enact the occupied territories Bill as it had promised to do - another broken election promise. We wrote before to stop Israel's access to the Horizon project from happening. It is not right that Israel can access the EU Horizon project to do what it is doing: genocide.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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We in the Social Democrats are a party of proud Europeans and active members of the European Union. We see it as our obligation not to be passive members in the Union but to question EU policy and law and what it means for us here in Ireland on an ongoing basis. European Union membership has pushed Ireland into a more progressive place over the decades. Our membership of the European Union has given us many great things as a society: better employment rights; better women's rights in workplaces and beyond; environmental protections; funding for community and regional development; broader educational opportunities through Erasmus programmes and freedom of movement; economic prosperity; and an outlook on the world that goes beyond our own small island. It is important to celebrate these things today.

It is also important to acknowledge that the positives of the European Union are not accidents. They did not just happen; we as member states made those things happen. European policy and directives do not just mysteriously appear; they are supported, pushed for and shaped by governments around our continent. We prioritised the rights of workers, the importance of clean air and water and a focus on improving the lives of our citizens. Sadly, we are now seeing member states turn away from these priorities.

During the European Union elections last year, I learned about the very different attitudes that exist towards Europe and European Union membership here in Ireland, particularly among young people. Naming these attitudes and issues does not make us anti-Europe. We must understand and represent the concerns of Irish people. If we want strong support for European Union membership, we must address European issues and represent the views of our citizens. We must not be afraid to lead, push back and discuss issues like Gaza in Brussels.

People feel disconnected from Europe, and frankly, it suits the Government for people to feel this way. If we feel disempowered and disconnected, there is no scrutiny or accountability for bad trade deals, a lack of action on the genocide in Gaza and sometimes active support for Israel. There is no responsibility taken for people drowning in the Mediterranean. Europe is not some far-off place we have no say in. Member states have trampled on the civil liberties and human rights that a few short years ago we would all have proclaimed to be at the very core of the European Union, in Germany, Hungary and Poland. We cannot have silence from our Government when we are fighting for the very soul of what the EU can be and achieve as a force for good.

Meanwhile, the EU has pivoted focus to other issues, chief among them militarisation and the rapid move away from peace and towards war. Instead of focusing on the erosion of workers' rights, environmental protections and social prosperity, which have given our citizens hope for the future, Europe has bent the fiscal rules and has its sights set on war as the key thing we are guaranteeing for future generations.

Young people across the EU have social rights, housing and climate as their top priorities. Our leadership seems to have lost interest in solving those issues in Europe. The pressure is so overwhelming that instead of standing up to it, our Government is seeking to undo the guarantees provided for in the Nice and Lisbon treaty referendums. These are the specific safeguards against EU militarisation and the specific promises that the EU is about economic and social prosperity, not another military bloc aimed at protecting its interests by any means necessary.

This is not how it has to be. We should be exerting greater pressure at European level on issues like Ukraine, climate, trade and Gaza. For Ukraine, we need a just and lasting peace and to keep Ukrainian civilians at the centre of that discussion. While Europe supplies military aid, the amount of humanitarian aid has been inadequate. Climate is the existential issue of our generation and it is worrying to see the corporate sustainability and due diligence directive under attack. This legislation, which guarantees that companies do not continue to consume fossil fuels and pollute with abandon and are accountable to the people they harm, is under attack in the name of competitiveness. Our time to act is running out and we should be going stronger, not weaker, on climate.

Regarding trade, we should be defending the high standards for the things we buy and the things we make. It is not anticompetitive to say we cannot tolerate human rights abuses and slavery in our supply chains. That is what was guaranteed at European level in the corporate sustainability and due diligence directive, which was agreed and passed last year but is now under attack.

In Gaza, since the genocide began, there have been loud calls for the EU to take action; to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement on human rights grounds; to recognise Palestinian statehood at EU level and across member states; and to stop selling weapons to Israel. Sadly, what we have seen is unequivocal support for Israel from Commissioner von der Leyen, a commission president whom Government MEPs supported as members of the EPP. EU funds are also being used to subsidise arms manufacturing which supplies Israel with its weapons of ethnic cleansing.

The European Union is not perfect but it sure is worth fighting for. The values of peace, prosperity and solidarity are what brought us together after two devastating world wars. These values tied us together and helped us to lift each other up. These principles have delivered plenty for ordinary people but as I said earlier, the good we do is not a guarantee or a coincidence; it is something we worked hard for across the continent. If we want to strengthen those bonds and keep improving people's lives, we must recommit to that work.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I do not feel like celebrating Europe Day today for reasons that have been outlined very clearly for more than 19 months now. That is not to say that I do not appreciate Europe or the role it has played in the development of Ireland. I am often reminded of a quote by John McGahern, who said that Ireland was an agrarian society right up to the mid-20th century and then almost went straight to the 21st century.

I understand the role Europe has played in Ireland and the privileges it has given me, but I also understand the importance of trying to avoid hypocrisy where necessary. Too often when we sit here and talk about benefits without actually understanding, discussing or pointing to what can be fixed, it leaves us in that hypocritical space. As we speak, a genocidal form of ethnic cleansing is being inflicted upon a people. We must therefore use our platform not just to ask "are we not great?" and say "look how much we have benefited", but also to talk about the hideous forms of oppression and violence being inflicted upon another people.

Article 2 of the EU-Israel trade agreement has humanitarian clauses built into it. Following pressure from the Opposition, the former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, wrote to Ursula von der Leyen to ask if Israel was in breach of Article 2 of that agreement. More than 19 months have passed, and Ursula von der Leyen still has not responded to that message. She has not shown the courtesy or decency to respond to the leader of a country, and a fellow member of the European People's Party, on humanitarian clauses being breached. In the past, we discussed in this Chamber whether Israel could actually target a hospital. I remember the debate when all of us were to be careful because that had not been clarified yet. In the intervening period, it has bombed every hospital. Every hospital has been obliterated. Israel has targeted UN workers and journalists - you cannot get a journalist into Gaza at the minute for the very simple reason of the horror being inflicted there - and still the EU does not recognise that humanitarian clauses have been potentially breached.

We will continue to argue and advocate for the enactment of the occupied territories Bill in this Chamber. We are a member of the EU which has a trade agreement with built-in humanitarian clauses that are being denied. It is very difficult to celebrate that. It is very difficult to celebrate what is, ostensibly, a great peace project that was built out of the belief that "never again" should mean "never again" given that member states are transferring arms to Israel. We watch as the populations in Gaza and the West Bank are obliterated but we stay quiet. I refer to the collective quietness across the EU.

We say that we have been a loud voice. However, that is not even close to being good enough. At a stage where genocide is occurring and ethnic cleansing is now been spoken about openly, being a loud voice is no longer good enough. We need to be people who are screaming at every level, going to the EU and actually demanding that it stays true to the principles by which it has enacted clauses, because otherwise, does that not make us complicit? The horror upon horror that has been inflicted actually renders all this fairly meaningless. A small part of the world is being obliterated. It has been obliterated and that has been allowed to go unchallenged by the European Union. Words are not even close to being enough. Therefore, I will not be celebrating Europe Day today. We are blanketed in a cloak of shame because of what is occurring in Gaza by Israel which has been enabled by the US and by Europe.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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On this Europe Day, I pause to reflect on a remarkable journey that began more than 74 years ago with the simple but transformative idea that peace and co-operation could replace conflict and division on our continent. Today, the European Union is more than a political and economic project. It is a symbol of shared values, democracy, the rule of law, solidarity and a commitment to human dignity. Ireland has benefited enormously from our EU membership, socially and economically. As a full member of the EU we achieved a parity of political status that was not possible formerly as a small country.

Perhaps one of the greatest legacies has been the securing of lasting peace on the island of Ireland. The EU provided a political forum that allowed Irish and British politicians to meet regularly and build relationships, a forum that had not previously existed even in times of crisis. People as diverse as John Hume and Ian Paisley worked on common interests in the European Parliament. The slow and not always linear progress that was created as a result built up the confidence and trust that would culminate in the Belfast Agreement. It was the decisive support from the EU and also the US that brought momentum and weight to the process, underwrote the final agreement and helped to sustain it through difficult times.

It is ironic that this year's commemoration comes at a time of profound challenge. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has shaken Europe's security landscape. The EU's united response has been a powerful statement of solidarity and resolve. However, it also highlights the importance of strengthening our capacity in defence, achieving greater energy independence and enhancing strategic autonomy.

We face other tests too, from climate change and the cost-of-living crisis to the pressures of migration and the risks posed by disinformation and authoritarian influence. These require not just shared policies but also a shared spirit of responsibility. Constructive dialogue is vital. The EU must continue to evolve and must become more agile, more responsive and closer to its citizens. Enlargement, institutional reform and economic competitiveness must be approached with vision and balance. Ireland should continue to be a voice for inclusivity, sustainability and fair opportunity within the Union. We should be committed to a Europe that is strong, united and principled, and delivers real results for people while staying true to the ideals inspired by the foundation. Europe Day is a time to celebrate what we have built together and recommit to what lies ahead.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Europe Day is more than a date on the calendar; it is a moment to reflect on how far we have come as a continent and indeed as a country. In an ever-changing Europe, unity remains the greatest strength. Unity is not about sameness but a shared purpose. Ireland's journey within the European Union has coincided with our transformation into a vibrant, open, knowledge-based society. As an active contributor to the European project, we have seized opportunities to connect, to grow and to assert our voice in our island nation. Our values align very well with those of the EU - democracy, human rights and solidarity - and we bring our own distinctive perspective in shaping them.

Europe has been particularly important to our young people. Programmes such as Erasmus have expanded their horizons, encouraged cultural exchange and opened the doors to educational opportunity right across the continent. Every year, thousands of Irish students take part in that programme. The benefits ripple far beyond the classroom to building lifelong links, broadening knowledge and expanding minds.

Rural Ireland too has felt the difference. Through the LEADER programme, the EU has helped to reinvigorate communities by supporting local enterprise, tourism and innovation. One such example in east Galway is a fourth generation family farm, Kylemore Cheese. With EU support, the business has diversified to include artisan cheese production. It has opened its gates to visitors, thereby not only creating jobs but also reconnecting people with food and farming. That is Europe in action: local impact supported by shared solidarity. At the same time we must recognise that EU policies, particularly in such areas as agriculture, shape the realities of everyday life in Ireland. That is why it is so important for Ireland to stay engaged, to bring our lived experience to the table and to ensure the voices of our rural and farming communities are reflected in the decisions made at European level.

Europe must be a place where no one is left behind. We should be a leading voice in that regard and we should share our vision of reality. It has been mentioned that challenges lie ahead in areas from climate change to sustainability, digital transition and unity. On this day we recommit to that vision.

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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This Friday marks the 75th anniversary of the historic signing of the Schuman Declaration just five years after the end of the Second World War. To paraphrase that declaration, it was intended that the pooling of Europe's resources would change the destinies of regions long devoted to the manufacture of munitions of war. Today, 75 years later, the core of that vision has been abandoned. Instead of demilitarising our future, the EU is pushing a hard-line militarist agenda. Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for an €800 billion rearmament fund, putting the military-industrial complex at the core of the EU vision and resurrecting the very industry the Schuman Declaration sought to subdue. More weapons and bombs do not bring peace and security. If they did, the United States and Israel with their vast arsenals would be the most peaceful and safe nations in the world. This €800 billion will achieve nothing but line the pockets of arms manufacturers, only for them to declare in five or ten years that this technology is obsolete and to demand yet more funding. If the EU truly wants global security and lasting peace, it must invest in the well-being of people.

There is no sector more essential to the well-being of Europe than agriculture. The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, must be recognised as a core pillar of EU security. Strengthening EU-wide food production will ensure resilience. It will reduce our dependence on volatile imports and protect us from a global crisis beyond our control. The CAP budget for 2021 to 2027 is €327 billion. How is it justifiable to spend upwards of €800 billion on EU rearmament while farmers across Europe are struggling? If these billions were put into the agri sector instead, we could transform agriculture and our wider food sector. We would be able to deliver a common agricultural policy far greater than the limits of the current CAP - a CAP that would rejuvenate farming, rural communities and generational renewal. Our farming sector is moving towards a cliff edge. Around 1,400 farmers leave farming each year and the EU's answer to this is to spend billions on arms and to try to push through dangerous and damaging trade deals like the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, and Mercosur. Each member state needs to be working to build a stronger and more resilient EU, rather than an EU that depends on chemical-laden food produce and substandard meat. Our produce and that of other member states is among the highest quality in the world. We should be raising the bar, not lowering it.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Last week, Israel attacked an aid flotilla bound for Gaza with drones in international waters against people who were bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. That is shocking, but for Israel it is not unprecedented. Fifteen years ago, ten people were killed aboard the MV Mavi Marmara as part of the freedom flotilla. Fourteen years ago, when I was an MEP, I participated in the freedom flotilla. Our first boat was sabotaged and later, when we got to sail, we were surrounded by Israeli warships, boarded, and brought to an Israeli prison. Then, as now, the aim of the flotilla was to break the siege of Gaza and provide humanitarian aid but the humanitarian situation is a thousand times worse.

For more than 20 months, Israel has been carrying out a genocide. Starvation is a weapon of war for Israel just like bombs and bullets. There are 290,000 children in Gaza who are starving and 70,000 have been hospitalised for severe malnutrition. Three and a half thousand little children under five face imminent death by starvation, according to the health ministry. All the while there are large stockpiles of food a mile away from where the children are starving to death.

How can the EU and European states continue to arm Israel? How can the EU continue to be Israel's largest trading partner while Israel continues to commit such atrocities? Why is the EU so supportive of Israel's genocide that it will not act even when Israel attacks a humanitarian ship 14 miles off the coast of Malta? The EU's silence and its complicity in genocide makes a mockery of the claim by the EU to be an institution of peace. It is not. It is a great power block and, increasingly, an imperialist military alliance in which Ireland, a post-colonial, neutral state should have no part.

The EU is pressuring member states into billions of euro worth of increased military spending. This money will not be used for defence. It will be used for imperialist military interventions alongside the US and NATO. That is why the Government wants to abolish the triple lock. If the increased military spending was just for defence then there would be no need to abolish the triple lock. The triple lock does not prevent the State using troops to defend itself at all. It just restricts the Government from sending troops overseas without UN approval. In other words, it stops Micheál Martin and Simon Harris from currying favour with Trump, von der Leyen, Macron and Merz by sending Irish soldiers to fight and die in offensive imperialist wars.

In preparation for abolishing the triple lock the Government here is cracking down on the right to protest. The same is happening across the EU. In France, one of the most prominent Palestine solidarity organisations, Urgence Palestine, is under threat of being banned. So is the anti-fascist organisation, Jeune Garde antifasciste. In Germany, protesters are banned from speaking as Gaeilge on pro-Palestine demonstrations and Irish citizens are threatened with deportation as a result of their pro-Palestine solidarity. Far from standing up against this repression, the Irish State is eagerly joining in. Gardaí physically assaulted pro-Palestine protesters outside NATO HQ in Dublin, viciously breaking a man's ankle. They strip searched women protesters from Mothers Against Genocide, a form of sexual assault. The Government is bringing in new laws to allow gardaí to use facial recognition technology and to criminalise the wearing of face masks on protests so people can be easily identified by police.

The Government says it will need these draconian powers for the EU Presidency in Dublin next year. The Government knows the EU is authoritarian and anti-democratic and therefore will need these powers to suppress protest against it. That is why we need to rally against militarism, against the increasingly oppressive direction of the EU and in defence of peace this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin, which is being organised by the Irish Neutrality League.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am certainly not using my words to celebrate Europe Day. I say so because it has completely lost any moral compass, if it ever had one. We are two days away from the 75 years of the peace declaration by Schuman and we could not be further from that peace declaration.

The Minister of State presented an 11 page speech and I will intermingle that with the words of Simon Harris, our Tánaiste, and say that sometimes it is difficult the struggle for diplomatic words. However, the Minister of State has no difficulty in condemning Russia, which I agree with. He has absolutely no difficulty using the words "relentless brutality of Russia's illegal and unjustified war of aggression". He pointed out he has visited Kyiv and said, "I saw the determination, the dignity, and the resilience of the Ukrainian people." There is not a mention of the resilience of the Gazan people in Palestine. There was not a mention that journalists cannot enter the country. There was not a mention of what is happening. In my brief speaking time, I will quote the World Health Organization:

We are breaking the bodies and minds of the children of Gaza. We are starving the children of Gaza because if we do not do something about it we are complicit in what is happening before our ... eyes ... As a doctor, as a physician, as someone watching more than 1,000 children without limbs ...

My time does not allow me to do this but it is really important to use words and use them appropriately. Some 51,000 Palestinians killed, 70% of whom were women and children, and we got 11 pages of a speech where the Minister of State, and the Government, urge Israel to show restraint. There was no condemnation. I do not know who is writing the speeches but to present an 11 page speech and not have a word of condemnation for Israel, which is in the middle of committing genocide on an ongoing basis, what level of bloodshed is required before we move on from where we struggle for diplomatic words to actually doing something?

When we look at Europe, I have said repeatedly I am a proud European. I have intimate connections with Germany through my family and the German language. I am not here to protest that I am European. I am here to use my very short time to say that I am ashamed to be European, with its current leadership and with von der Leyen standing shoulder to shoulder and in solidarity with a war criminal. She is somebody who said Netanyahu "made the desert bloom" while the Israeli army moves in under our watch and with our permission to kill, maim and destroy Gaza. Surely in the Minister of State's 11 page speech he might have used some words of condemnation in relation to genocide. I am ashamed to be here looking at this speech and what I am reading about Palestine and I do not use my own words because they do not suffice any more. According to the Red Cross, the situation in Gaza "will haunt us" for decades because nobody will be able to say we were not aware.

Europe has become a military industrial complex. The figure of €800 billion has been given to build up a war machine. We are an independent sovereign State, a neutral republic that should use our voice for peace in the world if we are seriously interested in following the legacy of Schuman and taking his words at their highest level for a peace project, which I had serious concerns about from day one because I think it was a veneer behind something else. We are in a Europe that is now building up - to paraphrase the words of the financial columnist Ganesh - to run down "the welfare state to build [up] a warfare state."

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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We are not doing that.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I do not think, in all honesty, the Minister of State could disagree with that given the amount of money that is going into the military industrial complex. A lot more than a shaking of the head is necessary when we are standing as a neutral country and not using one word of condemnation in the same way we have against Russia. It goes to our credibility as an independent country. It goes to our very being if we can criticise one injustice and not another injustice. It goes to the heart of our neutrality.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I know how committed the Minister of State is to the ideals of the European Union and to the peace and prosperity project it continues to be. Our statements today are very important, particularly as we prepare for Ireland's hosting of the EU Presidency during the latter part of 2026. It should be noted that under our Presidency in 1990, German reunification occurred. We saw in 2004 the largest accession to the EU, including of countries in central and eastern Europe. I hope in 2026 that we continue to support Ukraine's path towards accession to be part of the European family. It is important we look at the future of Europe and we ensure it remains competitive.

The implementation of a capital markets union should be among our priorities during our EU Presidency. It is essential that Europe is more competitive but also that we ensure for consumers, whether it is financial products, insurance or so on, that there is an open European market in that regard.

It is also critical that we encourage global trade, and that in an era when global trade is under threat, we ensure that we support free and fair trade, which has been critical to bringing so many people out of poverty and creating employment all around the world. It is really bizarre that there are Members in this House who are quite happy to have the hands of our foreign and defence policy bound by China, Russia and the United States, yet they are opposed to a free trade agreement with Canada. I urge the Minister of State that we move as quickly as possible towards ratification of CETA.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It is critical that we ensure in the funding under the next EU budget that the multiannual financial framework is sufficient to support a number of areas that are critical to this country. We need to have a fully funded Common Agricultural Policy. With regard to Europe's competitiveness, the Union's research budget should be sufficiently well funded. On the opportunities that are available to people and the DiscoverEU programme, which is currently only available to 35,000 18-year-olds, we should set a goal of ensuring that every 18-year-old has access to the programme and there is much more opportunity to experience other cultures in Europe.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am going to cut to the chase because I have a whole two and a half minutes to speak on this topic. I will focus on the availability of drugs, specifically new drugs, right across Europe. We all know the positive nature of what the European Union has contributed to Ireland but there is one glaring area I would like to highlight.

Free and borderless travel is available to us and it is the same with regard to doing business but unfortunately when it comes availability of drugs for people's healthcare, we still face many barriers. Every year, dozens of drugs are approved by the European Medicines Agency, EMA. One would think that it would naturally follow on that each member state would subsequently approve those drugs but unfortunately, as I have raised here previously, in Ireland it takes on average two to three years to approve such drugs. The ultimate answer to this question is a pan-European solution where, once the EMA approves a drug, it would be available in all member states. Unfortunately, that is not the case today.

Data were published today regarding cancer drugs. They were reported on RTÉ Radio 1 earlier. Only 25% of new cancer drugs available EU-wide have been available in Ireland since 2020. In the case of orphan drugs and rare diseases, only 14% of those drugs are available here in Ireland. That is a glaring area where we need to do better as a country. As I said, boundaries between member states have not been an inhibitor to trade, travel and finance. I do not understand why they are an inhibitor to people's healthcare. I know of two families in Cork, one of which has moved permanently to Hamburg to go with their child and ensure they get access to the drug they need. A second family is now living in the North for similar reasons. That is unacceptable. In the programme for Government, there is an allowance to explore the idea of early access and shared risk agreements with industry, and that is where we need to be not just as a nation but as a European Union.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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John Hume described the European Union as "the best example in the history of the world of conflict resolution". From its beginnings as the European Coal and Steel Community, which sought to bind historically warring countries and nations of people, Robert Schuman stated that solidarity of production from pooling coal and steel production would make war between France and Germany "not only unthinkable but materially impossible". From the humble beginnings of the initial single Common Market grew the European Economic Community, which Ireland joined in 1973 under Fianna Fáil's visionary leadership. It later became the European Union. Over the past 52 years, Ireland has made remarkable progress but has also contributed so much in the development of our modern European Union. We should be proud to celebrate all we have achieved and look forward to the next 50 years.

Through the Common Agricultural Policy, the Erasmus programme, the free movement of goods, services and people, the euro, full economic independence from the British empire, the promotion of democracy, the rule of law, a free media and a free people, Ireland has benefited immensely through its membership of the EU, and the EU has benefited greatly from our membership too. The expansion of the EU and the welcoming of new member states, particularly over the past two decades or just beyond, has been transformational for our economy and people. It has brought workers to our shores when we needed them. It has brought new people, ideas and cultures, and it has enhanced and enriched our society in many ways.

That does not mean the EU is perfect and indeed, it is not. Overregulation and red tape in farming must be tackled. CAP must be refocused on food security and food production, and the historical significance of and need for CAP on this continent cannot be forgotten and taken for granted. The EU stance and inability to act on the genocide in Gaza is deeply troubling. It shows how the machinery of the European Union is far from perfect. While Ireland, Spain and Norway have acted to recognise the State of Palestine and take a stance that the West has in so many ways shamefully failed to take, the EU has been far too silent in too many ways. With the current US Administration under President Donald Trump looking inward and away from its allies, it is clearer than ever that our future is in Europe. We must look east to our allies across the Continent, acknowledge the benefits we have gained from our membership of the EU, and continue to shape a future EU that remains mutually beneficial but challenges its failings and inability to act with determination, solidarity and a shared purpose.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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A statement was made regarding Garda strip-searching. That was denied by gardaí, and just because someone can come back in and keep repeating it does not make it so. I am a person with a record of calling things out here, just as the Leas Cheann-Comhairle did - I took my lead from him - but just repeating any accusation does not make it so, and it went unchallenged.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Taoiseach called out the horrors yesterday at the Global Ireland Summit in front of as large an international representative audience as you could get, from around the world and the European Union. I wish he could do it every day but that seems to be what is being asked for on the Opposition benches. My colleague Deputy O'Meara put it very well with regard to the inability of the European Union to act cohesively on Gaza. Ireland has been very clear about it. The Taoiseach was exceptionally clear about it yesterday, as was the Tánaiste. The Danish Minister for European Affairs was here this morning meeting members of the European affairs committee, of whom I am one. One of the issues I raised with her was that Ireland is the only European country to have called out the deprivation and the denial of food aid to people in Gaza as a war crime, and she acknowledged that. That is what we need to keep doing as parliamentarians - to continue raising it at every particular opportunity that arises.

Today, I think to some degree of the context that brought about the European Union, which was the desire of European countries to destroy each other over centuries, and the annihilation, almost, of a race and religion during the Second World War. Freedoms have not really been mentioned. On the freedoms that we take for granted, a previous speaker said the European Union is worth fighting for. The first issue that the Danish Minister for European Affairs raised today was security and defence because they are terrified. It is a topic that the Minister of State has referred to previously. I recall him saying that every house in Sweden has received a brochure through its door about preparedness in the event of war. We are insulated and isolated. Thank God for that, and thank God we are surrounded by water, but there is a reality out there. The freedoms we take for granted are not under attack from the European Union; they are under attack from forces such as Russia. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for his forbearance.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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On Friday, 9 May, Europe marks the 75th anniversary of the Schuman declaration, a moment meant to usher in peace, human rights and solidarity in Europe.

Those founding ideals lie in tatters. Peace in Europe did not hold, as anyone in the Balkans and Ukraine could tell us. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU stood united. Sanctions were imposed, aid was sent and declarations were made that such aggression would not be tolerated. Like Ukraine, Palestinian land has been occupied, annexed and bombarded by a monstrous regime. Europe rightly sanctioned Russia, yet it cheers on Israel. When Israel rains down bombs on Gaza, when tents full of displaced families are hit and when children are pulled from the rubble, where is the European outrage? Where is the solidarity with the people of Gaza? Last month, Israel attacked a humanitarian flotilla that included European citizens bringing aid to Gaza. This was a blatant violation of international law but there was not a peep out of Ursula von der Leyen. When wildfires broke out in Israel, however, she sent firefighting planes. Trees are more precious to Ursula von der Leyen than Palestinian lives. Where was the EU commitment to international law? How can Europe preach about human rights while ignoring war crimes in Gaza?

As Irish people, we know the pain of colonial oppression. Irish people starved while food was just hours away. Other countries in Europe do not understand the spirit of resistance that is instilled in every Palestinian just as it lives in Irish republicans up and down our country. As a post-colonial people, we always take the side of those facing brutal occupation. We must be the vanguard for justice for Palestinians, for their right to peace and for their right, in the renowned words of Bobby Sands, whose anniversary we celebrated on Monday last, to hear the laughter of their children. We demand an immediate end to the assault on Gaza, an arms embargo on Israel and humanitarian support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. We must enact the occupied territories Bill, stop Israeli munitions going through Shannon Airport and end the export of arms components to Israel. I commend my Sinn Féin comrades in Kildare, including an Teachta Ní Raghallaigh, and the Kildare Palestine Solidarity Campaign on their direct action against Powell Electronics in Clane last week. In stopping that shipment, they have done more than the Government to stop genocide.

I convey my solidarity to the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, members who listened to Francesca Albanese and finally found their voice. They might only be speaking out about Eurovision but at least it is a start. I am sick of standing and waving Palestinian flags in Celbridge and Naas. I am sick of chanting "Free Palestine". I am sick of watching children being blown to bits or, worse, burnt alive in tents. I am sick of reading inThe Ditchthat ammunition is being flown through Irish airspace and I am sick of the Government saying it did not happen. The Taoiseach finally found a bit of a voice yesterday and called what is happening what it is, which is a war crime. When will he act?

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I am in two minds as I contribute to this debate. On the one hand, as my colleague said, we are here to celebrate what Europe is supposed to stand for. This year is the 75th anniversary of the Schuman declaration, which laid the foundation for European integration. From the early days of the European Coal and Steel Community, there were efforts to integrate everything to the point where it went beyond the mere pooling of coal and steel production under a single authority to a situation whereby the resources that were used in war could no longer be used separately and could not be used by member states against one another. The evolution continued with the development of what is now the European Union.

It is true that we have not had war among the members of the European Union, but have we stopped fighting and violence in the immediate arena? No, we failed miserably as a Union in the context of the massacres that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina not too long ago. We only partially succeeded - indeed, it could be argued we failed - in bringing our collective support to bear in strengthening our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are fighting an existential battle against Russian aggression. Ursula von der Leyen has been consistent in calling for more European co-operation. Every European country has its own designs, plans and interests. The military powers have their specific interests and the non-aligned countries with which we share a vision have their own interests.

As has been noted, the single biggest European failure has been to secure the development of peace in the Middle East. We can leave Britain in or out of the equation now in the context of Brexit. We can go back as far as the Balfour declaration or as far back as we want. The reality is that Europe is a key player in trying to foster peace and security. It has two members on the UN Security Council, albeit that body is a toothless tiger at the moment because of the intransigence of the Russians and Chinese and the unreliability of the US. Europe has failed miserably to prevent the atrocities in Gaza. We can call what has happened a multiple genocide. It was a genocide before Israel started the humanitarian aid starvation, which had been going on for 60 days last week and is at nearly 70 days now. It is absolutely horrific. We have never seen the likes of it. Here we are, as a European Union, twiddling our thumbs. There can be some element of understanding of the historic German shame about how that country exterminated 6 million Jews during the Second World War. However, the European Union is made up a lot more countries and they should really know better than allowing the types of conditions that have enabled and emboldened the Israelis, with the help of the US Administration, to commit these ongoing atrocities.

The Irish Government has talked the good talk. When I spoke about this in the House last week, the Tánaiste again condemned what Israel is doing and said the Government will raise it at a higher level with our EU partners, etc. Maybe we need to shout from the rooftops and give them a good kick up the arse, to be quite honest, in whatever way we can. When we have the EU Presidency, will it still be the case that the genocide is continuing and Israel is trying to exodus all the citizens of Gaza and build a new expanded Israel? Will Ireland, as holders of the EU Presidency, be saying we must take action?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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We have a moral obligation to put it up to our partners to be stronger on this issue. I have not heard that coming from the Council of Ministers.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Will you conclude please, Deputy?

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Deputy Paul Lawless, who was due to speak, gave me a few extra minutes.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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No, the Deputy is sharing with the other speakers in this slot. His time is up.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Okay. We need to do better and we need to speak more loudly.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thought the Deputy might want to say sorry for his earlier remark.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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On Europe Day, we mark a bold vision, born from the ashes of war, of peace, co-operation and prosperity between nations that once stood divided. I am a proud pro-European. I believe in nations working together, not tearing each other down. Let that not be confused with blind obedience to Brussels. This Europe is not the dream we signed up to back in the seventies. We see consequences of remote policymaking every day across Europe. Ireland is bearing the brunt of a significant refugee crisis, spending approximately €1.9 billion last year on something that should be handled better by the EU. Communities are stretched beyond capacity and the Government seems to be more concerned with pleasing EU mandarins than protecting Irish services and Irish cohesion. This is not what co-operation looks like; this is capitulation. Europe needs reminding that member states are partners, not provinces. We must have the right to question, opt in and opt out. Ireland must be put first in agriculture, fisheries and when it comes to the Mercosur deal. As the Government raises its glass today to the European Union, we must keep that in mind.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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Europe, like Ireland, is a hugely different place from what it was in the 1970s. While we are here making statements on Europe Day, fishermen in this country would like a statement on what they have described as the "true picture of the alarming current state of the Irish fishing industry under EU 'management'".

It states:

- 60,000 - the volume of blue whiting quota the Irish pelagic fleet is allowed annually by the EU out of the 1.7 million tonnes taken out of Irish and international waters West of Ireland by EU and non EU vessels every year;

- 8,000 - - - due to ever-reducing EU quotas allocated to Ireland every year, 8,000 is the number of ‘working hours’ clocked up on the engine of an average 10-year-old Irish pelagic vessel - - approximately one quarter of that recorded on pelagic vessels from other EU and non EU nations who have quotas in Irish waters;

- 280 - - - the average number of working days at sea per annum that the pelagic fleet of EU Member State Denmark [which has a fleet of a similar size to Ireland’s] need to catch their large quotas whilst Ireland, equally an EU Member State, have quotas so small that the average number of days at sea for an Irish pelagic vessel is 40 or less;

- 82% - - - reduction in profitability of Ireland’s whitefish (demersal) fleet (2024 statistics);

- 68% - - - the amount of reduction in the EU-allocated mackerel quota that each vessel in the Irish pelagic fleet has suffered in the past eight years;

- 58% - - - the fall in production in Irish pelagic processing factories over the past two years;

- 57 - - - the number of EU and non EU vessels pelagic vessels recorded working in Irish waters one particular day last week ... THREE of these were Irish;

- 30% - - - the percentage of Irish whitefish vessels that were voluntarily decommissioned to allow the remaining Irish vessels to have enough quota to survive... after which the EU proceeded to then reduce the Irish quotas once again;

- 17 - - - the number of hours in total (several different tows) that it took one Killybegs’ pelagic trawler this month to fill his minuscule mackerel quota for the entire year;

- 9 - - - the number of weeks (January 1st to March 3rd) that it took one particular Irish pelagic trawler to fulfil his total EU allocated quota of mackerel, scad, blue whiting and boarfish - - - and this nine week period includes time tied up unloading catches or tied ashore due to bad weather - - - the total number of working days at sea was in fact 35 before the vessel had to finish its operations for the rest of 2025.

This is a really genuine issue for fishermen that has been ignored.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I reject the dark image of Europe mentioned earlier. Consider what Europe has done collectively by agreeing to pool sovereignty. A decision was made by the Irish nation to pool its sovereignty with that of other European countries. We have done amazing things in Europe. We have increased our living standard since after the Second World War, when the entire Continent was lying in poverty and dishevelled. We have introduced incredible social protections right across the Continent and have done amazing things together. We are facing an environmental challenge that faces all of mankind. I am a very proud European.

On this day, many of my colleagues speak very positively about Europe. I want to do that today but, unfortunately, we are again marking Europe Day when the aggression of Russia in Ukraine continues. Europe has responded very strongly on this. This reminds us that the European Union is, at its very heart, a peace process involving European countries. Therefore, war on the Continent is something we should be incredibly conscious of, and we should make every effort to alleviate its impacts and, where possible, bring about a peaceful conclusion.

I am incredibly disappointed that the unity of the EU on Ukraine has not been matched by unity on what is happening in the Middle East. Rather than disappointing, it is shameful that Europe has not acted more collectively on what is happening in Gaza. What happened on 7 October 2023 was despicable. It cannot be repeated enough how unjustified the actions of Hamas were, but the actions that have followed have been incredibly disproportionate. The Taoiseach referred yesterday to the fact that there is intentional starvation of a people by a government. Ireland is a country that has famine in its very DNA and we remember what famine was about. That such circumstances can be brought about by any government is absolutely despicable. I agree with the Taoiseach’s comment that what is happening is clearly a war crime, not because we say so but because international law states it. I want more than anything to have a two-state solution and a peaceful existence for both Palestinians and Israelis. I want the conflict to come to an end but there is no solution in how the people of Palestine are being treated. I welcome the Irish Government’s step today regarding our grave concern over the total annexation, which, again, is another compounding of a failed policy by Israel in Gaza. We need to get to a peaceful solution. We need to stop the starvation of people, including innocent children, on this planet. I welcome the Irish Government’s steps and wish our European colleagues would do more.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Today, in marking Europe Day, I want to talk positively because I have seen the changes in my lifetime. The reasons for the European Union’s coming into being were obviously the worst things that ever happened. Just over 80 years ago, Europe was devastated by the horrors of the Second World War. All around many of our rooms, we have the books, films and documentaries, but ultimately, because we never experienced the war, we will never truly understand it. The people who came together to bring Europe together, which is ultimately why we are celebrating, did experience it. As we remove ourselves from it, we risk not understanding anymore the complete devastation that can happen, especially on our Continent. Previous speakers have spoken about the impact of conflicts in other parts of the world, including in places not too far from us, but the reality of living through a conflict is something that brought France and Germany together. Nations were torn apart, 60 million people lay dead, and the Continent was in ruins all over. In fairness, Ireland got through it to a degree but at the same time it did see the devastation up close. Out of the ruins came a bold and visionary idea. Only through unity, mutual respect and shared prosperity could Europe come together and ensure war would never happen again. From the 1860s right through to the First World War, and obviously into the Second World War, there was ongoing conflict between France and Germany. The Schuman Declaration of 1950 is probably the very reason not only that we are here in this way but also, and more important, that the European Union is together in the way it is.

Ireland did not join the EEC initially but when it did it transformed it. I have seen the benefits throughout my generation, but people began to see them in previous generations, including in the early 1970s. When I was in school, we used to call Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain “the PIGS”. Ireland is no longer such a country, and this has been attributable to much of the investment and work done by the EU. Ultimately, we should never forget the impact on our economy of our being part of Europe, and that is why I want to speak positively. We can see the benefits of EU membership through economics but also through shared culture. The way we share our culture is something we need to recognise on a positive day.

This being Europe Day, let us reaffirm our dedication to a Europe that stands for peace, democracy and solidarity, not just with words but also with action. Ireland has played its part and will continue to play its part constructively, proudly and with purpose. I, as a newly elected TD, having been elected a few months ago, am delighted to be able to stand here on Europe Day and recognise how Europe has made its contribution to Ireland and, indeed, how Ireland has made its contribution to Europe.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I do not mind saying I support the European project and have done so since the beginning, but I also do not mind saying we should, whenever necessary, be critical of the direction Europe might be taking on any aspect of the role it plays.

I also believe we should never forget our own sovereignty and our own people and, if we are not happy about the direction Europe is taking, we should not be afraid to put forward views and opinions in an effort to change that direction.

On the militarisation of Europe and the talk about peace versus those who want to bring up the arms race, purchase arms and so on, Europe and Ireland have a lot to offer in respect of a peace project. We have always been the ones who were recognised as playing a huge role in relation to peace and we should continue to do so. There is no harm in our saying we will go so far on one particular part of the project but no further. I do not want to see us arming up and getting ready to play a role in a European army. I do not want to see that.

On the agricultural side, there is a lot more Europe could do on farming, funding the initiatives it currently has, and in making sure CAP is not only funded but that it is possible to implement it without the amount of bureaucracy and red tape that I see farmers having to engage with every single day. I do not want to nitpick but I would give the example of the latest directive from the European Union, relating to local authority grants, whereby you cannot now get a grant to change a boiler but you must go for a bigger option of a full kit-out for the home. It does not make any sense, yet I have not heard anyone in Europe say on Ireland and what we are doing here that there is a need to protect the industry and recognise that most people applying for those grants are not wealthy. They are older people trying to make the best they can of a grant and of a failed heating system they might have in their home.

On the bigger picture, I fear Mercosur and the deal that is being talked about. Some 100,000 tonnes of beef into Europe will scare any farmer and will cause difficulties for those planning to farm beef or whatever because of the uncertainty. We need certainty around that. On CETA I would like to see more said in terms of the courts. It needs to be explained to the Irish people. That is the big thing for me. Europe has moved away from the people. It has created a huge gap between the bureaucracy of Europe and, in our case, the Irish people. I would like to see more said by members of the European Parliament.

I want to add my voice to all of those who have spoken about Gaza and what needs to be done. Not enough is being said regarding the leadership of the European Union and what we feel about what is happening. It is genocide or war crime; whatever it is, people are dying and kids are dying.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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The Schuman Declaration that we commemorate today begins, "World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it." Military neutrality and our triple lock system are the kind of bold policy instruments that are in keeping with this European vision of world peace laid down 75 years ago. Last year saw the highest number of state-based conflicts since 1946. The past three years were the most violent in the past three decades. Around the world, nation states are withdrawing more and more from the international system. In the face of rising militarism and intimidation, we must maintain robust counter-measures that promote peace and diplomacy.

Tá a fhios againn ó thaithí go n-éistear le hÉirinn mar gheall ar an stair faoi leith atá againn. Ní féidir linn anois níos mó ná riamh ár nglórtha ar son na ndaoine atá faoi chois a fhágáil ar leataobh. Tugann ár neodracht an neamhspleáchas dúinn labhairt ar son na síochána, coimeádaithe síochána a sheoladh tríd na Náisiúin Aontaithe agus seasamh in aghaidh na héagóra cibé áit a dtarlaíonn sí.

Chaill muid deis den sórt sin an tseachtain seo chaite nuair a theip ar an Rialtas seasamh leis an bPalaistín sa Chúirt Bhreithiúnais Idirnáisiúnta trí argóintí béil a thabhairt i gcoinne comhairle chogaidh Iosrael mar gheall ar fhaitíos seasamh suas in aghaidh bulaithe. Éilím ar an Rialtas gníomhú anois go dáiríre agus dul níos faide ná béalghrá a thabhairt do chúis na Palaistíne agus an Bille maidir leis na críocha faoi fhorghabháil a bhrú chun cinn. Ní leor focail chun an dlí idirnáisiúnta a chosaint. Tá gníomh ag teastáil.

As Irish republicans we support engagement in Europe but only on the basis of sovereignty, equality and democracy. Ireland must never be a silent passenger in a Union that puts the interests of powerful states or unelected elites ahead of the people. Our future, North and South, must be shaped by ourselves. With increasing pressure from Europe to rearm, we must stand our ground and send a powerful message to the rest of the Union to remind it of its founding values. On this Europe Day let us recommit to a Union that respects sovereignty, stands for peace and acts with principle and in alignment with human rights and international law. That is the Ireland we represent and that Europe and Palestine need.

Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)
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To celebrate unity and long-term peace with the objectives of integration and democratic co-operation were the objectives of Europe Day and of Robert Schuman in particular with his declaration in 1950. These are very noble objectives which are essential to underpin the coalescence and co-operation of European countries over the past 75 years. A bugbear of mine is the focus on, and at times an obsession with, economic endeavours. The Schuman Declaration came about in 1950, bringing peace to Europe. It was unpinned by the process of negotiation over coal and steel, with the end result that there would not be warfare and to achieve peace through an economic background. It was quite risky at the time but it has been successful. Ireland has been a grateful and significant beneficiary of its involvement in the European project. However, like any good project, whether family, business, school, community or island group, everything should be subject to review, re-evaluation and consultation with communities. I heard others refer to consultation and communities, and, as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Connolly, would say, the importance of going back to them and consulting them.

I know from the Europe Day website of the many activities over this week. The ECB, the Commission, the Parliament and different agencies have exhibitions, roadshows, etc., but the offering here, unless I missed it, is quite limited. I spoke about consultation and community. I detect there is a little scepticism coming in because of a lack of understanding. I must credit the Oireachtas Library and Research Service. The documents and supports available to us on different issues are absolutely fantastic. We possibly take them for granted. When I go back to Meath East and we have different conversations, perhaps on the doorsteps or when people approach me on the street, I note a gap in the level of understanding and awareness. I wonder about education. It could be through schools, when our MEPs return, which would offer an opportunity to give information on Europe Day and on the legal framework and things like why we transpose directives and what are the different pieces of legislation, what they go through, whether they are directly transposed and if there is a debate here . We could use it as an opportunity for education. That may help dispel some of the scepticism that is creeping in. Some of it is warranted and some of it is not. However, we are in the space of disinformation and misinformation. Knowledge is power and where people have more information there is more understanding.

I would definitely advocate that we go back to communities, maybe through the roadshow format or through the local authorities, and begin that piece. Back 45 or 50 years ago in primary school there was such a subject as civics. At the time it was the EEC that we learned about. It is a particular area of interest.

Not to duplicate but on Mercosur, there is the issue of balance for all member states. There are huge advantages to some but there has to be a balance to others. It is a massive piece in respect of food security and stability, disease control, health and migration, another essential piece. From an understanding and fairness perspective, through all of the European endeavours, we retain and celebrate our Irish heritage. There should not be a dumbing down, whether through integration or otherwise. We must retain our Irishness. Equally, we respect the heritage and culture of other people we encounter throughout the European project.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the Members for their interesting contributions. It is fitting in this House, as we represent the sovereign will of the Irish people, that we pause to reflect on the past, present and future of the European Union and Ireland's unique and valued place within it. We must never forget when we talk about the European Union that we are the European Union. The European Union is not a foreign entity. It is a union and we are all members of it. We elect the governments that make up the Council, we elect the MEPs that make up the Parliament. Any law that passes through the European Union has to be passed by both of them. When we joined the European Economic Community in 1973, we embraced Robert Schuman's idea of shared sovereignty for shared prosperity. Our membership has helped transform a country from an isolated economy on the periphery of Europe to a modern, open and globally connected State. It is no exaggeration to say that we have been transformed. One million people were working in this country in 1973 and there are 2.7 million people working here now. European Union membership has been key to that. We have shaped our society as well, reinforced our commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We have opened opportunities for citizens to live, work, study and travel across the Continent. That is why support in Ireland for the European Union and our membership of it is among the highest in the world. I did not mention the word "euroscepticism" until now but it has been mentioned on the Opposition benches. Irish support for membership is very high, and the people who support it the most are our young people. The surveys show that.

It has never been solely about economics, although they are very important. We saw in the EU a political and moral project, one that places peace, reconciliation and human dignity at its core. For us Catholics, it is no coincidence that Robert Schuman is on the road to canonisation. He has been declared a Venerable by the Catholic Church for his work for peace. This man is not just a politician but a very important religious figure within the Roman Catholic Church, because of what he did for peace. We have always championed a Union in which all member states, large and small, have an equal voice. As a small nation we have benefitted enormously from this principle. We became independent in the 1920s, formed our Constitution in the 1930s and then became a Republic. The reality is that our sovereignty was very much dependent on what might happen in London, until we joined the European Economic Community. It is my contention that our sovereignty has been enhanced by joining the European Economic Community, which became the European Union.

Unity has helped the European Union but we have not always been united. We are certainly not united on the situation in Gaza and Palestine. That is absolutely the case. Nor are we united on the case of Ukraine, I would have to say. There are people there who do not agree with what the European Union has done. Schuman said that Europe will not be made all at once or according to a single plan, but that it will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. These words ring true today as they did in 1950, when the Venerable Robert Schuman said them. Europe Day, on 9 May, is a time to reflect on these achievements and the values that underpin them. Here in Ireland, we mark the day through public events, school programmes and of course through this annual debate in the Oireachtas. We did it in the Seanad last week. It is more than a formality to debate this and discuss it. It is a chance to reaffirm our deep commitment to the European Union and to articulate our vision for the future. People have various visions for the future. We elect our governments and MEPs to put that vision into practice. That is why they are there. On the democratic deficit, I have never seen our MEPs more engaged with constituents than they currently are and have been in the last number of parliaments. They are much more visible on the ground and much more active in public debate. The public are much more aware of them.

As Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and defence, I see every day the importance of the Union, the work we do to defend democracy and the rule of law, the steps we take to deepen our security and defence co-operation and the solidarity we show Ukraine and other partners under threat. As the European Union continues to evolve to meet new challenges, it is right that we pause both to look forward and to acknowledge the extraordinary individuals who have shaped our path quietly, courageously and with great conviction.

I smiled when Sinn Féin talked about supporting Europe and mentioned the word "eurosceptic" first. In all the EU referendums held in Ireland, each time, Sinn Féin said no to the EU. I am very proud that my party, Fianna Fáil, led Ireland into the European Union. Unlike almost all the Opposition parties, we advocated a yes vote in 1972. I have to refute the euroscepticism that has been outlined by some in the Opposition. We see Ireland's place at the heart of Europe, shaping those debates, talking very strongly about the issues that matter to us, shaping the legislation, making sure Irish interests are protected. We do not double-speak. We do not fudge or remove articles from our party's website. Our answer is yes to the European Union, yes to our European Union, and yes to a Union that delivers prosperity and peace to our citizens.

I will talk briefly about security and defence. It is important to remember, as some Members in fairness have acknowledged, that security and defence is always a matter for the member states. Our tradition of neutrality is very much recognised every single time there is a decision or conclusion in relation to defence. When people talk about defence, what are we talking about? We are protecting our independence. What is the difference between an independent Ireland and an Ireland under the British? It is that we can protect ourselves. We should have Defence Forces that can protect this island, ward off cyber threats and protect our economic security and our peace. We will not be joining NATO and we will not be joining any EU common defence. There are no proposals for an EU common defence. Those who rightly talk about Robert Schuman in glowing terms seem to forget or maybe do not know that he was one of the founding signatories of NATO. He saw common defence among those countries that decided to join NATO as a way of protecting the peace they built among themselves. Every country has its own nuance on defence. We must understand everybody's particular defence requirements. It is different in Greece from how it is in Lithuania, and different there from how it is in Ireland.

Too frequently in this House, investment in our security has been presented as a binary choice as to whether we are in favour of military neutrality or not. We need to move away from this false dichotomy. I heard the Social Democrats' Deputy Gibney citing the use of arms on a number of occasions. She also cited the situation in the Mediterranean Sea. She is right to do so, but it would be welcome to hear Deputies recognising and commending the involvement of members of the Irish Defence Forces in Operation IRINI when comments like this are made. Members of our Defence Forces are contributing to this effectively humanitarian operation to prevent arms coming from Libya. It is contributing to a European Union military operation under the umbrella of the common security and defence policy. It is protecting us from these illegal weapons shipments but it is also very humanitarian in terms of helping some of the poorest of the poor who are found in the Mediterranean, who are on ships they should not be on, who are being trafficked and who are completely hopeless. Members of our Defence Forces over there, there are not too many of them, are doing tremendous work. We need to get real about the complexities of security and defence. It is not simply about neutrality or not, it is about protecting ourselves and making sure we can keep the peace that we all value and fight for. It is about making sure our military neutrality is respected, which it is, but that we are also living up to the commitments which we owe ourselves and nobody else.

On the situation in Palestine, I am glad Deputy Lahart mentioned the Taoiseach's comments yesterday. They were extremely strong. We tend to get very strident criticism from some of the Opposition in relation to the Government's stance on Palestine.

We also get strident opposition and criticism from the Government of Israel about what the Irish Government has done and said. The Irish Government has been one of the strongest advocates for the people of Palestine and for a two-state solution. We have been very clear in that regard. We have a consistent political and moral position that there must be two states. They must be allowed to coexist together where human rights are upheld. The actions the Government of Israel is taking, and its proposals to clear people out of Gaza and to remove and prevent food getting in, are war crimes. The Taoiseach has been very clear in that regard. We cannot just decide at a European level that this is our position, however. Other countries simply do not take the exact same position. There have been some references to that effect.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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You do not do anything about it.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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This is exactly my point again. We get criticised by the Opposition and the Government of Israel.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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We need action.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The actions the Irish Government has taken have been very much appreciated by the people of Palestine, not only in the context of our practical, financial and humanitarian support, but also by our recognition of their country as well. We are very much an outlier in the European Union in that regard. While we will keep talking to our European colleagues on this issue, there are different views around the European table. That is a reality we must live with.

I look forward to our Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is important. To touch on what Deputy Toole said about talking to the people, I will be engaging in a public consultation throughout the country about what our priorities should be. We will be doing our best to highlight the work we are doing within the European Union, not just in pursuing our interests, which we do day in and day out around the European table, but also in leading the European Union’s interests during that Presidency. I look forward to that whole process over the next period of time.