Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The support for funding for the Ukrainian people is not the question here, and that is not something that is being debated. The question is around genuinely supporting the Ukrainian people so that the funding can be used in the way that is most appropriate and that drives this. With regard to the reporting process - and I say this as a former member of the Future of Europe process - the fact and the legacy is that certain parts of the European Union and its structures are not always necessarily great at talking to other parts. While we may well have reporting with regard to these budgetary and financial measures by the Commission to the Parliament, there is a separate process around all countries acceding having to achieve the essential levels and standards of the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights. This was something that was very important to citizens in the Future of Europe process.There are separate processes that can run in parallel and sometimes, which we have seen, they work at odds. We saw it in a very blunt way in Europe whereby the European agenda for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, which was the agenda that was meant to take us to 2020, was put to the side to instead focus on, and I think it was under Mr. Juncker, nine or 11 measures that were directly, and very narrowly, related to the fiscal returns. In fact, Europe lost a decade in its climate and digital transition because that smart, sustainable and inclusive growth vision was put to the side in favour of short-term financial returns and assessing whether the money come back that quarter and the next quarter.

It is not simply enough to say it is in Europe. We are Europe. We are part of Europe. This is part of Ireland being responsible. Being friends to Ukraine is to be friends who try to ensure that Ukraine has the wherewithal to develop in a way that is good for its people to ensure quality work and so forth. It is also being friends to Europe and the EU to ensure that we do not see mistakes that were made internally within Europe, imposed externally.

Again, I am not satisfied simply by saying this. I understand that the moneys have been disbursed but I am trying to ask Ireland to be a bit of a champion for deeper thinking and to join up these two processes - the accession process, which we all support and the process around finances - but ensure that they do not work at odds with each other but work in a way that complements each other. I ask for Ireland to be a voice in that process. That is why I included the phrase "steps Ireland has taken." I know that we do not have overall control but I want to know what steps Ireland might take around trying to join the dots.