Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. The Bill is required for Ireland to participate fully in some of the institutional mechanisms available in Europe to support the people, the economy and the infrastructure of Ukraine. The Bill seeks to enable the State to take part in donor and trust funds that have been established by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and, for that purpose, to allow the State to enter into contribution agreements related to these funds as prescribed by the Minister.

Since the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, the United Nations human rights office, the OHCHR, has verified 29,579 civilian casualties, with 10,242 people killed, including 575 children, and more than 19,300 injured, including 1,264 children. Some 14.6 million people, roughly 40% of the population, require humanitarian assistance. Attacks and extreme weather have left 1,000 villages and towns across the country without electricity or water. The economic impact on Ukraine will have long-lasting consequences. Huge parts of the country’s infrastructure have been destroyed. Public debt has soared and the fiscal deficit has spiralled. The total amount of direct damage to the country’s infrastructure exceeded €143 billion last year. Buildings, family homes, transport and road infrastructure and education and health facilities have all been destroyed. There is no end in sight to the war and the devastation continues. It is not just in our economic interests but it is a moral imperative to support Ukraine and its people with its future recovery. For those reasons, Sinn Féin will support this legislation.

However, I have to ask where is the EU solidarity with other countries suffering the effects of war or climate change, which is causing starvation and desperation for millions of people. The EU leaders should be ashamed that they have failed to call out Israel for its war crimes and its genocide of the Palestinian people. Even the human rights arm of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, voted in favour of a report which failed to condemn the actions of Israel as the death toll there reaches 25,000. I have to call out the behaviour of the Fine Gael MEPs who voted down a call for a ceasefire at the European Parliament two weeks ago. I find that absolutely unacceptable and I hope all of us in this Chamber recognise that for what it was. It was an absolute disgrace.

I hope the Government will change its position and join the South African case at the International Court of Justice and show real leadership in relation to what is happening to the people of Palestine. We support this Bill, of course, but I cannot help but point out the hypocrisy in political stances across the EU where human rights are concerned.