Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to touch briefly on Europe Day. I know that there were statements on Europe Day last week but I was in Moldova representing this Parliament as the convener of the Ireland-Moldova Parliamentary Friendship Group at an event which that country was holding for all of the various conveners of friendship groups across the EU. We remember hearing about what Ireland was like before we joined the EU. The EU has been a huge benefit to us, as the Leader knows through her work with the Council of Europe. EU membership has been beneficial for all member states, particularly those countries which came in the big wave we celebrated recently which happened 20 years ago, along with Romania, Bulgaria, and, ultimately, Croatia after that.

As a Parliament, we need to send a message to countries like Ukraine, which Senator Clonan has referred to in the context of what is going on there, and, in particular, Moldova and Georgia. I know that Georgia has its own challenges at the moment. The message we must send is that we are very interested in, we welcome and we support Moldova joining the EU because it is vulnerable to Russian influence and aggression in terms of cybercrime and in terms of Russia's presence in part of its country, in Transnistria. It is very important that as a Parliament, we send a message of support to Moldova., which has agreed to have a referendum in October to let the public have its say on joining the EU. It is a candidate country and I would support it joining the EU. In my last few seconds, I make the point that we had an event at lunchtime with Senator Sherlock and others in support of national bike week. Almost every bike on the road is taking a car off the road. Motorists, of which I am one, need to remember the benefits of bikes are not just the health, fitness and efficiency of cyclists; they also serve to reduce congestion for those who are not able to use bikes. I encourage everyone, particularly in weather like this, to use a bike if they can.