Article 20 of Treaty on European Union Regarding Enhanced Co-operation: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-27
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, for being here and for proposing this motion, which Fianna Fáil welcomes and supports. It is hard to think that in less than a month, it will have been four years since this war of aggression against Ukraine started. Since 2014, when Russia seized Crimea and fuelled a lot of fighting in the Donbas area, tensions have been very high. It is difficult to think, however, that nearly four years have passed. We see the incredible impact on the people of Ukraine. At every opportunity and every time we speak about Ukraine, we must condemn the war of aggression and show our solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine.
Not long before Christmas, I had the opportunity to visit Kyiv and to see the damage both within that city and just outside it. On the night I was there, there were heavy bombings in which four people died, including a 12-year-old girl. We also went about half an hour outside Kyiv, close to the town of Ukrainka, to see one of the large energy plants. It had been bombed twice and they were trying to rebuild it at a huge cost.
The Minister of State and I got to know many of the Ukrainian MPs at the Council of Europe. They are very fine people who are so strong in bearing witness to what is happening in their country. I understand that only yesterday, Maria Mezentseva was elected Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE. Our congratulations go to her. We called the female Ukrainian MPs the female warriors of Ukraine because this happened just after a PACE plenary, and at a point when the male members of PACE could not leave the country, the female representatives came and they were very strong advocates for their country.
It is important that we in the Seanad support the motion that has been put before us, which relates to the fact that the European Council has agreed to provide €90 billion in a very decisive support for Ukraine's budgetary needs over the next two years. This commitment is in the form of a loan, known as the Ukraine support loan. It will be structured in two components, with approximately two thirds, amounting to €60 billion, allocated to military systems and the remaining one third, about €30 billion, provided as general budget support. This support will help Ukraine strengthen its capabilities and ensure the continued functioning of the state and basic public services while also contributing to Ukraine's resilience and its closer integration with Europe's industrial base.
This agreement was taken under enhanced co-operation, which is a mechanism that allows EU states to collaborate in specific areas when it has become clear that the EU as a whole cannot achieve the goals of such co-operation within a reasonable period. As the Minister of State said, the European Council met on 18 and 19 December to discuss potential solutions to address Ukraine's financing needs. From the level of support that was given to President Zelenskyy when he was in Ireland, we know that the Irish people are very supportive of this.
Three member states did not agree, but 24 member states requested that the Commission would prepare this proposal authorising the co-operation. This happened on 9 January. It is in line with Article 29.4.7° of Bunreacht na hÉireann. There are constitutional requirements, but the Minister of State has outlined how this is in line with them. We know that formal advice on this was sought from the Attorney General's office. We need to proceed swiftly with obtaining the Government's authority with the moving of this motion in both the Dáil and Seanad.
It is important to note that this loan will be repaid by Ukraine only once Russia compensates it for the damage caused by its war of aggression. Until then, Russia's assets will remain immobilised. The EU reserves the right to use them to repay the loan in accordance with EU and international law.
I note also that EU leaders have called on the Council and the Parliament to continue working on the technical and legal aspects of the instrument, establishing a reparations loan based on the cash balances linked to Russia's immobilised assets. This is really important because, initially, this is where the funding was to come from and it is very important that this work continue.
A lot of work is going on in Ukraine on accession to the EU. We wish them well in that regard.
Fianna Fáil welcomes and supports this motion, which we hope will go through without any delay.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:33+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-27