Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group I am honoured to welcome Ms Brasseur to the Upper House. It is an historic day not only for us, but, as she outlined, for her as she is addressing a full Parliament during her tenure as president.

As was already outlined, Ireland is a founder member of the Council of Europe and has a very proud history and tradition of participation in it. I could not help but reflect on the circumstances in which the Council of Europe came together in 1949, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War when human rights had been trampled and the concept of human rights had not been developed. It is to the credit of those founding fathers that they set down concepts at the time which have resonated to the present day.

It is in this context that I was particularly interested in Ms Brasseur's remarks about the relationship between the Council of Europe and Russia. I applaud her efforts in this regard. As she outlined, and she was probably somewhat restrained, it is one of the most serious crises to affect Europe since the Second World War. I am curious to know how she thinks it will develop in the coming weeks and months. The fact she has invited the newly elected president of Ukraine to address the Parliamentary Assembly is worthwhile. There seems to be some movement between Russia and Ukraine in terms of trying to lessen tensions. Ms Brasseur has been pivotal to the discussions and developments in recent months and I am curious to know her overall view.

Regarding Russia and the Council of Europe, I am particularly pleased the Parliamentary Assembly stopped short of withdrawing the credentials of the Russian members. It is very important that dialogue continues. As Winston Churchill said, "to jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war". As Senator Jim D'Arcy said, the Council of Europe is one of the few pan-European organisations where East and West come together. I was a member of the Council of Europe from 2002 until 2008 and Russia played an active role and saw the Council as an important connection to the rest of Europe. Russia would not wish to do anything that could endanger its status in that regard. It is good that while a marker was laid down by the sanctions imposed, the Council stopped short of withdrawing Russia's credentials. It was a wise decision because to do so would not have solved anything.

Does Ms Brasseur have any views on the future role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe? I know this matter has been under discussion for some years, particularly since 2004 and the enlargement of the European Union. Many former Soviet Union satellite countries saw the Council of Europe as the most important part of their external policies. They were active members of the Council but this has weakened since they joined the European Union. From 2004 to 2008, I got the impression those countries were less committed to the Council of Europe because they had become members of the European Union. Within the European Union, the need for the Council of Europe was questioned because the EU was founded on the same concepts, such as human rights and fairness and equality for all. What relationship does the Council of Europe now have with the European Union?

I am sure Ms Brasseur will agree that the evolving situation in Ukraine and Russian involvement in that crisis have made other countries nervous, particularly neighbouring countries. This applies to the disputed territories in Moldova and Transnistria and also to the territories mentioned by Ms Brasseur in places such as Nagorno-Karabakh. Should we be more concerned about these situations?

I again welcome Ms Brasseur to the House and to Ireland. I am glad she has enjoyed her time here and I hope she returns soon.