Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-05 ============================================================ Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel I acknowledge and agree with Senator Ahearn's comments on the incredible work the Department is doing. It is under a lot of pressure. I also acknowledge the incredible work Irish diplomats do across the globe and the professionalism they show, day in, day out. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the incoming Irish Presidency of the EU Council, which will begin in July. We are living in unprecedented times, with turmoil and uncertainty. I understand that consultation is ongoing ahead of the publication of the final schedule of events. I hope the Government will take the North into account during this term and that the issue of Irish unity is not left off the agenda. Irish unity is coming and it is important we use every opportunity we can to ensure we are prepared and ready for it and welcome and open to it. Irish citizens in the North are EU citizens too and they and their political representatives should play a full role in all of the upcoming engagements throughout the EU Presidency. I understand the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee, brought a memo to yesterday's Cabinet meeting regarding the attendance of elected representatives from the North. This would be very welcome and I would welcome the Minister of State's thoughts on this later on. The unique situation on our island was brought about by partition, which was not a democratic decision by any means. We will have to navigate that for as long as partition remains. The onus is on the Government to ensure that citizens of the North are represented throughout the EU Presidency. The global situation in which we inherit the EU Presidency is one of turmoil, conflict and aggression. Disregard for the UN Charter, international law and the multilateral system appears to be the order of the day. The illegal and unprovoked war against Iran, launched by Israel and the United States, is an absolute disgrace and needs to be condemned in the strongest possible way by the European Union. These attacks were orchestrated in the middle of ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran. There was a diplomatic process under way, yet the governments of the United States and Israel abandoned this in favour of war. This is just another example of law and diplomacy becoming irrelevant in the modern day, with guns and missiles coming back into the mainstream and increasing militarisation. This is affecting us all and will affect us even more. We should also be clear that the motivation for these attacks is to deflect from ongoing investigations of both Trump and Netanyahu in their own countries, although recently somebody said to me that it is not a distraction because neither of them needs a distraction. Trump and Netanyahu have so much power, they do not fear any consequences. They do not feel they have to worry about anything and they can do what they want. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. The rapid change of heart by the British Government, which is now assisting the assault on Iran, demonstrates just how difficult it is to make an independent decision once a country is part of a military alliance. There is a stark lesson for the Government in that. We need to take heed of that and urge a return to diplomacy and an end to the war in the Middle East. The Irish Government needs to condemn these actions and speak out as a neutral, credible voice against unprovoked military aggression. We need a clear head. We do not need to be sucked into war and the apparatus of war. That is a real concern I have. Frankly, it is beyond disappointing that the Government could not condemn these attacks as illegal and that the Taoiseach continues to provide cover for American aggression and refuses to take a stand, as Spain has, against this completely unjustified and dangerous war. It is important to acknowledge the Spanish Prime Minister's clear, strong, brave and principled statements, which, in fairness, contrast with Ireland's jellyfish approach to international law. It is really disappointing. We have to ensure the EU backs the position of Spain. It is a position Ireland should and could have taken the lead in. Likewise, I do not agree with the recent outrageous statement from the Taoiseach that Ireland is militarily standing with Ukraine. Sinn Féin stands with Ukraine and fully supports all humanitarian efforts and aid, but Ireland is a militarily neutral country and we should be reflecting the contribution to peace and dialogue that we can make, based on our own experience. This should be a focus of our Presidency of the European Council. I am delighted the Ceann Comhairle has decided to adopt the proposal to host an interparliamentary conference on the theme of pursuance of peace in global volatility. We have much experience to share with EU member states on how Ireland achieved an internationally legally binding agreement after 30 years of conflict. There are many lessons regarding the Good Friday Agreement, from negotiations through to the signing of the document, the associated referendums and its ongoing implementation. It must also be remembered that, in April 2017, the European Council agreed that in the event of a united Ireland, the Six Counties could rejoin the Union as part of a unified Ireland. Irish unity represents the best opportunity for our nation to succeed and thrive. It is not a narrow interpretation of unity with the North simply being glued onto the South; it is a reimagining of how people are treated in the Republic and how we operate on the global stage. Constitutional change represents a unique opportunity for all citizens of the nation, regardless of background, to come together to build something better. This Presidency should be used to its maximum effect in pushing this forward. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-03-05