James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is indeed right to point to Ireland's leadership in relation to cluster munitions, and there certainly will be no change in policy from the Government in regard to this matter or concerning investment into those types of horrific munitions.

The memorandum of understanding entered into by the European Commission and the Ukrainian Government makes it very clear that the objective of the MFA is to support Ukraine's macro-financial stability given the acute financing needs triggered by the war circumstances. It seeks to support structural reforms aimed at improving overall macroeconomic management and strengthening economic governance and transparency and improving conditions for sustainable growth. In the MOU, Ukraine commits to ensuring that funds received will be spent in an efficient, transparent and, most importantly, an accountable manner, and to set up and operate a reporting system that will enable the availability of sound budgetary information to the Commission in an accessible, timely and comprehensive manner. For example, Article 5 of the MOU ensures that Ukrainian authorities must provide monthly reports on the revenues and expenditures of the state budget at the level of the major expenditure headings.