I am pleased the EU has been able finally to agree a sixth round of sanctions on Russia. As we know, there will be a ban on all seaborne oil from Russia. In addition, the country's largest bank, Sberbank, has been barred from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, SWIFT, system. However, it took a long time to agree this package. The Prime Minister of Hungary, Mr. Viktor Orbán, held up the agreement and a temporary exemption was given for piped oil imports. The negotiations were difficult …

As we know, the British Government has published legislation to set aside various aspects of the protocol. It is clearly a breach of the UK's commitments under international law. It seems to me that the British Prime Minister has done deals all over the place, including with the European Research Group in the Tory Party, to win his recent no-confidence vote. The legislation can be seen in that context. Boris Johnson is, in effect, setting aside international law, destroying British-Irish relations and EU-UK relatio…

It is fair to say that British-Irish relations are not particularly good at this time. It all started with Brexit in 2016 and things have got steadily worse since then. The Brexit decision, in which the UK decided to disengage from the EU and go its own way, was a shock to the international community. The modus operandi of British Prime Minister and the governing style of the Conservative Party have been difficult to accommodate. The move towards unilateralism as opposed to multilateral diplomacy in regard to North…

I think it is entirely appropriate that every so often, as parliamentarians in a democracy, we set aside time to consider the role of journalists in wars and conflicts across the world, and to remember those journalists, reporters, cameramen and all those involved in the media who have been killed in circumstances related to their work. As we know, the first casualty of war is the truth. We rely on the bravery of journalists, often risking their lives, to tell us the truth about what is actually happening on the gr…

I welcome the publication by the shared island unit and the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, of the new research areas for 2022. I wish them well on their research. Separately, yesterday was the 48th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. I know the Taoiseach attended a ceremony to commemorate these terrible events on Talbot Street. Will he continue to press the British Government to give access to any documents in existence that would help establish the truth behind these appalling tragedies…

Security and defence matters loomed large in the Taoiseach's discussions with the Prime Ministers of Finland and Estonia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is Putin and his actions that are dividing the world into blocs once again and, as we know, Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO. This will leave Austria, Malta and Ireland as the only non-aligned nation states in the EU. The Russian invasion has sparked a debate at home on Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. Each neutral stat…

Whatever way one looks at it, the outcome of the Assembly elections in Northern Ireland last week was historic. For the first time since the creation of Northern Ireland 100 years ago, a nationalist party, Sinn Féin, is the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The success of a centre ground party, the Alliance Party, is also significant. Geoffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, has stated that it will not nominate a Deputy First Minister this week until the issues concerning the Northern Ireland protoc…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to say a few words to mark Europe Day 2022. I am conscious of the fact, like other speakers, that overshadowing Europe Day this year is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. War has returned to Europe. The European Union, at the outset, was fundamentally a peace project and the Russian invasion makes us reflect again on the aims and objectives of the EU and the values underpinning it. The year 2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the EEC, as it was called then, whe…

Democracy as a form of government in the world is under threat. Authoritarian regimes pose an ongoing challenge to the liberal democracies of the West. We have witnessed a rise in global populism and the so-called strongman leader. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, ordered by Vladimir Putin, has highlighted this conflict in a very stark way. Recognising the threat to liberal democratic values in the world, President Biden hosted a democracy summit last December. The President has talked about the battle between demo…

There is no doubt that Brexit and issues relating to the Northern Ireland protocol have caused serious problems for the Northern Ireland peace process over the past six years. They have also caused problems for British-Irish relations. We should enjoy an harmonious relationship with our nearest neighbour, for so many reasons, but this has not been possible in recent years. As we are aware, the Northern Ireland Assembly elections take place tomorrow. Does the Taoiseach agree that it is vitally important that an Exec…

I want to raise with the Taoiseach the suggestion by the British Government that it is considering introducing legislation that would unilaterally suspend parts of the Northern Ireland protocol. I heard the answer the Taoiseach gave to Deputy Richmond yesterday, when he said he would prefer not to comment at this time as the campaigning for the assembly election is taking place. I will leave it at that for the moment. I wish to ask instead about the ongoing horrific situation in Ukraine, specifically the issue of w…

I thank the Taoiseach for that comprehensive report. I acknowledge the work undertaken to date under the shared island initiative, including the shared island dialogue. It seems that the task of building a consensus around a shared future is ongoing, and that the work is increasing in pace. I note that the Taoiseach will be launching another report from the ESRI on Thursday on the education and training systems on both sides of the Border. This follows a previous ESRI report on the primary care systems North and So…

The special European Council meeting held on 24 February and the informal meeting held in Versailles on 10 and 11 March, as well as the scheduled Council meeting that took place on 24 and 25 March were all dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and rightly so. The situation in Ukraine is becoming more horrific by the day. What has been revealed in the town of Bucha and around Kyiv following the retreat of the Russian forces is appalling. Innocent victims have been targeted. Sexual violence, torture and summa…

The atrocities being committed by Russian forces are becoming more visible as each day of the war passes. What has been revealed in Bucha and around Kyiv, following the retreat of Russian troops, is totally shocking. It is clear that innocent civilians were targeted. Their bodies strewn across the streets are there for all to see. Rape, sexual violence, torture and summary executions are commonplace. President Zelenskyy has described the situation as genocide. These are war crimes. Human Rights Watch has said as mu…

The Russian invasion of Ukraine will, no doubt, dominate the forthcoming meeting of the European Council. We know it was the main issue considered at the special meeting of the Council held in Versailles on 10 and 11 March. Russian actions are illegal, unprovoked and unjustified and constitute war crimes by any objective criteria. There have been indiscriminate killings of civilians and attacks on buildings and critical infrastructure. We are all horrified by the scenes we witness on our television screens every ev…

I am glad to learn more about the international unit in the Department of the Taoiseach. It is obviously doing important work. As we all will be aware, international affairs are dominated just now by the horrific Russian war on Ukraine. The Taoiseach has engaged with a number of Heads of Government in this regard in recent days. Can the Taoiseach give me a sense of where world leaders are at on this? I think, in particular, of the Taoiseach's formal visit to Germany last week and his meeting with the German Chancel…

I welcome the publication of the 278-page report by Amnesty International on Israel's apartheid against Palestinians. I accept its conclusions. I said as much in a previous Dáil debate in May 2021. The main conclusion of the report is that "Israel has perpetrated the international wrong of apartheid, as a human rights violation and a violation of public international law". There have been other reports that reached the same conclusion, as mentioned by other speakers. I refer in particular to reports by the Israeli …

Russia has embarked on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since we debated this situation in the Dáil six days ago. The Russian war is illegal and a serious violation of international law. Russia's attack is totally unjustified and Ireland and the EU are right to demonstrate steadfast support for Ukrainians' rights to sovereignty and territorial integrity. Peace has been shattered and the horror of war and war crimes have been visited on Europe once again. This has resulted in unprecedented solidarity on the part of …

I want to ask the Taoiseach about his attendance last week at the European Union-African Union summit and the need to develop a strategic partnership between Europe and Africa. As the Taoiseach knows, Africa faces many challenges including Covid-19. Only 11% of Africans are fully vaccinated at this time. There are also issues with hunger, undernourishment, conflict, political violence, climate change and poor governance. There are associated issues that need to be addressed, such as the education of women, healthca…

As the Taoiseach knows, the shared island initiative was launched in October 2020. The objective of the initiative is the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement in order to develop enhanced links, co-operation and mutual understanding on the island of Ireland. In this regard, I welcome, in particular, the shared island dialogue. This has given a voice to many individuals, groups and organisations which can find it difficult to be heard amidst the ongoing arguments between the nationalist and unionist poli…