Speeches

Mr President, I want to really welcome this debate today because housing supply is a real challenge in many Member States, as we can see from the contributions today. But we all know that home ownership is really good for society and, as legislators, I think we have to make sure that we do everything we can to make it a reality for all of our citizens. And whilst Member States' governments are at the front line of actually delivering and tackling the crisis, there's a lot of things that we can do here at an EU level. First of all, I think we can learn from each other what works and what doesn't work and don't repeat it. We can ensure that there are EU funds available and that the rules around planning and procurement are not overly onerous as they are in my own country. And we can coordinate resources to ensure that governments do have access to the skilled workforce. Because in Ireland, money is not our problem. It's the lack of people to actually build the houses that has been an issue for us over the last number of years. But because the challenge is different in different places, we do need to recognise and monitor the problems. In Ireland though we're making important progress. More than 115 000 homes have been delivered since 2020, and it's rising. In the last 12 months alone, 51 000 new bills have been commenced and the number of first time buyers is at its highest levels in years, thanks to the government interventions such as the Help to Buy scheme. But there's an awful lot more we can do, and this social challenge should rightly be at the top of our new housing DG's agenda, which will be Commissioner Jørgensen's Commission task, and I want to wish him well and support him.

Mr President, good morning, Commissioner, the recent rulings bring to an end of this long-running case, and I think it's right that all parties respect the judgment of the European Court of Justice. However, I think it's important to clear up a number of misconceptions around this case. The case is hugely historic and only has relevance there relating to Revenue opinions from between 1991 and 2007, and Ireland has already made significant reforms to its tax code since 2007: changes in the law and corporate residence rules, and the attribution of profits to branches of non-resident companies operating in Ireland. And whilst taxation is of course a national sovereignty, it still requires European and international cooperation. Ireland is an active participant in our international tax discussions, and we have also made the necessary changes as international tax law rules have developed over the years. And this includes the important work of the OECD two-pillar agreement, where Ireland made significant tax changes that have not been matched by any other country. Ireland is also a strong advocate of this agreement because base erosion and profit shifting is a global issue that requires a global response. So it's absolutely right to tackle unfair state aid. And this should also include the large amount of state aid through subsidies that currently take place in many of our Member States. But also, I think we need to be really, really clear: in a week where we've spoken so much about Europe's need to boost our competitiveness, private investment, innovation, this judgment shouldn't be used – as it is by some – as a stick against the foreign direct investment sector. We need to remain open for business, to attract foreign direct investment, and this includes measures such as tax competition that makes us competitive on the international stage. Foreign direct investment makes us stronger, creates jobs and boosts the economy. And that's exactly what we need.

Madam President, colleagues, this year, drug seizures at our airports, ports and other entry points in Ireland have more than doubled in comparison to last year. And on the one hand, that is welcome because our Gardaí, like police forces right across Europe, go above and beyond their duty to keep us safe. But on the other hand, it's a signal that organised crime, including the smuggling of illegal substances, continues to be organised, well financed and well resourced. So tackling organised crime absolutely should be a major EU priority because crime doesn't respect our national borders. And thankfully Europe is stepping up to the plate. We're establishing a new EU agency to tackle money laundering, tackle illegal migration, clamp down on excise fraud and we are beefing up our defences on cyber crime. But we absolutely must do more. Since our last plenary session here in July, Europol has been involved in cracking down on Europe's largest ever synthetic opioid lab, a cocaine lab, multiple migrant smuggling rings, euro counterfeiters, cyber criminals, money launderers, contract killers and drug traffickers, just to name a few. And yesterday, at home, An Garda Síochána in Dublin, working with Europol, dealt a major blow to one of our country's largest drug gangs, seizing 100 kg of cocaine worth EUR 7 million. Organised crime gangs tear our communities and families apart. They prey on the vulnerable and they have a massive, damaging effect on every level of our societies. But we are only going to make progress in tackling this scourge if we support and resource our Garda enforcement personnel. And to that end, I want to call for an increase in the membership and numbers of An Garda Síochána – Ireland's police force – to reach 20 000 members. We have a growing population, we have a growing crime drug problem and we have growing organised criminal gangs. And if our police are to keep us safe, we absolutely must support them in return. We must root out the leadership of these gangs, whether they are in Europe or elsewhere, and bring down the trafficking networks, seize every last euro they have made and ensure that they're held accountable. Because whether it's the family crime gang in Dublin, human traffickers across Europe, or drug trafficking right across the world, EU Member States must do everything to destroy the gangs and make them pay for the damage they've done to our families and societies.

Mr President, Commissioner, only 2 weeks ago, a survey of over 7 000 schoolchildren in Ireland showed that over a quarter of them had been impacted by harmful content online, including harassment, direct contact by strangers and exposure to unsolicited content. And as a mother to four young people, that fills me with real fear and dread. And this is one of the reasons why the Digital Services Act was introduced – to protect our youngest and our most vulnerable citizens. The laws aim to achieve an important but simple principle: what is illegal offline should be illegal online. And it also extends to misusing somebody's personal data, content promoting incitement or hatred or terrorism, or indeed undermining our democracy. So in my view, the root of this must include tackling the algorithms that promote the content that we abhor and that we see daily. And while the Act has been in place now for a number of months, I think it's too early yet to judge its effectiveness. But right now it's absolutely vital that we ensure all of our local individual enforcement authorities across every Member State, including Comisiún na Meán in Ireland, are fully resourced both financially and with personnel to do the job that we want them to do. No more should the online space be a Wild West for safety and data rights. However, there is a fine line. We have to be clear: the online and digital economy offers huge benefits and it is an indispensable part of our modern economy and society. And that is why, in seeking to uphold the law, we must not smother innovation, creativity or competitiveness. Europe must be a place where digital industries can grow, develop and compete.