Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-23
============================================================

Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I apologise for missing the opening statements. I had another presentation. Like Senator Clonan, I know that despite our political differences, we have great MEPs representing us and fighting for our city. I want to raise a couple of issues.
The GPO and Moore Street are currently in limbo waiting on Government plans for their future. It is very disappointing that what should be one of the city's most important historic and cultural quarters has been neglected by the State for so long. However, I am hopeful that progress can be made in the future after the planned public consultation. It would be huge missed opportunity if this process does not result in ambitious planning and serious investment in this part of the city. Moore Street and its surroundings can become a catalyst for the regeneration of Dublin's north inner city, while at the same time preserving our republican heritage and creating a vibrant cultural quarter with amenities and housing where it is most desperately needed. As Dublin MEPs, is this an issue they have engaged with? What kind of potential do they see this having for the north inner city?
Separately, I will raise the hardline support for Israel’s genocidal regime by the European People's Party, EPP, of which Fine Gael is a member. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has, of course, been a staunch ally of Israel and Netanyahu and has been central in supporting Israel’s wars across the Middle East and the genocide in Palestine. Within the Parliament, the EPP routinely blocks any sort of debate, motion or resolution on Palestine, trying to quash any scrutiny of Israel or attempts to recognise the human rights of Palestinians. The chair of the Parliament's delegation to Israel is a member of the EPP and regularly speaks on behalf of that party on this particular issue. Recently, she said in the Parliament:
For us Europeans and for our partner Israel [how do you see Israel as a partner?] international law matters because we have committed ourselves to it, but it's also clear that international law alone does not always provide solutions when dealing with terrorist organisations or violent and oppressive regimes.
This is an absolutely appalling statement, clearly designed to justify Israel's crimes against civilian populations. Likewise, last month she gave political cover to Ben-Gvir's barbaric demand for Israel to kill 40 Palestinians a night and tried to make excuses for why he routinely makes these sickening extremist statements. I would greatly appreciate if Regina Doherty MEP could clarify her position on the European People's Party approach to Palestine and the Israeli state and tell us whether there is any redline on this issue that would prompt Fine Gael to reconsider its membership of the EPP.

---

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/2026-09-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-23