What Aodhán Ó spoke about.

23

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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The important role of cities and regions in the EU – for a green, social and prosperous local development (debate)

Mr President, I am from Europe's greatest city, Dublin. I love Dublin's people, its history. I love its energy. I ran for this office because of a racist riot that took place in my native city last November. Like many cities in Europe, Dublin is facing some very serious challenges. The city feels less safe. We have drug issues, we have transport problems and our city centre is in urgent need of re…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for safeguarding the UNIFIL mission in light of the recent attacks (debate)

Madam President, what more will it take for the EU to sanction Israel? Israel has turned Gaza into a sea of rubble. It is engaging in the indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon. Now it has threatened the UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon and even attacked UN troops and property. Of course, this disregard for the mandate of the UN by the Israeli Government is nothing new. For years, Israel has sought to undermi…

9

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Prevention of drug-related crimes, their effect on European citizens and the need for an effective European response (debate)

Madam President, the debate about drugs is not really about drugs at all. It's actually about power: those who have it and those who don't. The war on drugs is a complete and utter waste of time, and it's hurting vulnerable citizens. It is a total misunderstanding of the nature of addiction – 'If we just ban drugs and arrest the people who take them, everything will be fine'. Well, it doesn't work…

9

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Ensuring sustainable, decent and affordable housing in Europe - encouraging investment, private property and public housing programmes (debate)

Mr President, housing is the social justice issue of our generation, and in my city of Dublin rents have reached record levels, with the average rent now hitting EUR 2 300 per month, and most young Dubliners have given up on the hope of ever owning a home. As Social Democrats, we have put the housing crisis at the core of our agenda for the next five years. We have delivered the EU's first-ever Co…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

Madam President, EU institutions are complicit in death, destruction and genocide. The EU has looked the other way while Israel has unleashed a level of brutality that is beyond comprehension. This is not new. This EU facilitation of Israel has been going on for over 50 years. Now, Israel seems to be intent on delivering the same bombardment upon the people of Lebanon as they unleashed in Gaza. La…

19

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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The historic CJEU ruling on the Apple state aid case and its consequences (debate)

Mr President, what I'm about to say, I say as an Irish MEP, but equally as important, I say as a committed social democrat. Corporations must pay their fair share. Sweetheart deals, profit shifting and corporate financial engineering designed to avoid paying tax must have no place in Ireland, and they must have no place in the EU. For years, the Irish Labour Party has called for Ireland to step up…

17

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East (debate)

Madam President, sanction Israel now! Madam President, this is my first speech in this Chamber, and I wanted those to be my first words. What is happening in Gaza is nothing short of a total humanitarian catastrophe. Some 41 000 Palestinians have been killed. Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and 2 million Gazans are being left to starve, without electricity, without clean water, without a sewage s…