Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The position of the Department is to attempt reform rather than to withdraw. If we cannot get what we want out of reform, we will withdraw. We are clear there is a division between member states. Outside of the EU there is a division between the different parties that have signed up and have different ambitions from us.

The treaty was formed at the end of the Cold War in a completely different world where the ambitions and long-term strategies of different countries were all about energy security and being in a chaotic world where things were at risk, and the idea of the goals were stability and energy security. Now, our long-term goal is emissions reduction. It is focused on the Paris Agreement, and we are moving away from trying to protect investors towards trying to protect our Earth and common atmosphere.