Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. I was very glad to have the Tánaiste come to the House today. I am hoping he will be able to return, maybe to discuss this at more length, because we have had requests for debates over many periods of time. The nature of the week that is in it means the focus is going to be on tariffs, but there are a large number of issues which the Seanad needs to discuss in detail with the Tánaiste. I am looking forward to seeing him return quite soon.

It is important that we have a calm and thoughtful response to last night's announcement of various tariffs. It is also important that alongside our immediate and short-term response, we already have the medium-term response starting in the background. The next two weeks will be crucial for Ireland as we take part in the EU discussions around what reciprocal tariffs may look like. A point that is often made by the Opposition and is sometimes dismissed - it is as if we are against FDI when we talk about it - is about the importance of indigenous industry and the importance of new industry and innovation with our European partners. That is very crucial. In the area of pharmaceuticals, for example, we have a stay in terms of the tariffs. While pharmaceuticals are not included in yesterday's tariffs, we know there is insecurity in that area. It is a slow-moving industry that takes eight or nine years to move. However, Ireland has the education and the infrastructure. We need to look not just to the companies that exist now, but also to the next companies, which may be Irish and may be European.

This goes to a crucial point: Ireland and Europe should not respond to the tariff announcements with short-term things that will make our situation worse regarding policy. Such things include the idea that we would start importing liquefied natural gas and fracked gas. We should not make ourselves more vulnerable and more exposed to the United States by importing fracked gas or by trying to curry favour through the purchase of arms, including F-35s. It has now been suggested that such arms may even contain a kill switch so that they are not usable unless it is at the agreement of the United States Presidency.

It would be a poor decision to participate in a race to buy things that will make the European, national and global situation worse by accelerating climate change, accelerating militarisation and damaging human rights for the sake of a soundbite or trying to get a line or two or a smile or two. We need to be very clear. We need to talk about the industries we have that matter, are substantial and have a future. That needs to be our focus.It would be a very poor mistake, one I fear the European Union is beginning to make already, if we were to engage in a race to the bottom on standards, whether they be environmental standards, employment standards or regulatory standards. We have seen the new bonfire of regulations Bill brought forward by the Commission. We are seeing a stop on the corporate due diligence directive that has been put in place.

I am very passionate about Europe. I was one of the four Irish representative parliamentarians at the Conference on the Future of Europe process. Europe needs to listen to the European public, something it failed to do during the previous crisis and during the period of austerity. The European public taking part in that future of Europe process were clear that their vision of Europe was not solely about the economy and it certainly was not about military might being their identity. It was around being proud of a Europe that had standards and being proud of a Europe where we collectively raised those. Not only is that crucial for the public, it is also crucial for actual innovation. Competitiveness is not simply about cutting. Competitiveness is about having the grounds for innovation whereby we make it, we make products, we create services and we develop initiatives that operate in a way that will actually serve us as humanity.

Again, this is an area where I feel very concerned for the people of America. I lived there for a long time and I am very concerned because I believe they will be hit worse by these tariffs. They are also being hit in parallel by an attack on science, an attack on public health research, which is the kind of thing that will undermine any future for pharma, and by attacks on physical realities such as the reality that women exist, the reality that populations are diverse, and the reality that we are in a climate crisis with a limited environmental space for survival. If Ireland and Europe lean in to producing the products, creating the services and leading in innovation that recognises those realities rather than chasing the deregulatory space, then this is where we are in the next wave of innovation. Currently, four of the big tech companies are European. I do not see why the next big companies in many of these areas should not be coming out of Europe and indeed out of Ireland.

When we talk about making sure we do not lose what matters I make a particular point that the idea of cutting social cohesion funding at this time would be disastrous. It is opening ourselves to those who would sow division during a time of economic recession. While Europe needs to examine the reshaping of global value chains, as the Tánaiste said, we are also looking at an attempt to reshape global values. This is where Ireland can give leadership within the European Union. This is where Ireland can support our friends in the European Union by making sure we remind them and hold them to the principles of global values. That means looking to the aid cuts that are happening right across. Some of the largest tariffs last night were to some of the poorest countries in the world who are also seeing aid cuts not just from the United States but also from Europe.

We also need to look to the issues of our neutrality and our peace. This gives us credibility internationally. Europe benefits from Ireland's unique voice, its unique credibility when it comes to the histories of colonisation, and its unique credibility on international law due to its neutrality and on peace building. Right now, Europe has neglected its other relationships across the world. We talk about reaching out to other markets. Those other markets are in countries. Europe needs to work on its wider diplomacy. We look to the G20 that will be so important, as the Tánaiste has highlighted. Ireland was invited to participate in the G20, the 20 largest economies, not by one of our European partners but by South Africa. South Africa is also one of the countries in the Hague Group, which is a group of countries that are saying we must continue to stand for international law.Ireland being invited by South Africa to the G20 was also a recognition of our values and the fact that Ireland is standing by international law and international values. These are the issues we cannot throw away right now. Europe needs them because the world has seen Europe's hypocrisy when it rightly condemns the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and takes action after action on it while we are still talking about what I was concerned to hear the Minister of State in his speech refer to as "conflict" and "hostilities". Let us be clear about what Israel is saying, what Katz said yesterday: they are in a crush and cleanse phase. They want to capture large areas that will be added to the security zone of Israel. That is straightforward ethnic cleansing and colonialism. Ireland can be a friend to Europe by pointing out that if Europe does not take a stand against this form of colonialism, it damages its relationship with those many other economies across the world and those many others we need to engage with.

Aid should not be a matter of interest, it should be a matter of principle. Peace is a matter of principle. International law is a matter of principle. Taking a stand and being credible on those things also serves in Ireland's interests and it benefits Europe at a time when there are a lot of moving pieces right now in the world economy and when Europe needs to build its relationships, which, sadly, have been damaged in recent times by the failure of Europe to take actions on Israel. Ireland's credibility would be massively damaged if we were to erode the triple lock and thereby send a signal that we are trampling on the United Nations. Let it be clear: that would be a push against the United Nations General Assembly, one of the largest groups we are a part of and one where we have a strong and leading voice. Let us not throw that away at this crucial time.