Speeches

A Uachtaráin, when future generations look back on the live-streamed genocide in Gaza, they will not look kindly on the EU institutions. They will not look kindly on the President of the European Commission, who willingly takes phone calls from war criminals. They will not look kindly on this institution, as after nearly two years of war crimes being broadcast onto our television screens and our phones, there has been a failure to impose even the most basic of sanctions against Israel. How much suffering must the people of Gaza endure before action is taken? How many more children must be slaughtered before the President and the Commission ensure that Netanyahu's regime is held to account? This regime is now extending their war to Iran. If the EU is serious about de-escalation and a ceasefire, it needs to send a clear message to the world that there can be no trade deals for war criminals. This is why the EU-Israel Association Agreement must be suspended with immediate effect. This institution must support the people of Palestine ...

Mr President, thank you, Commissioner, for being here. I firstly want to thank Mr Protas and all his team for their cooperation and work, as in many ways this is the report the European Parliament needs. It is ambitious for a well-budgeted and progressive cohesion policy. However, it has a major flaw, which means it fails the litmus test for myself and for my colleagues on the Left. It opens the door to the militarisation of cohesion policy. Let's take a step back and think about what that means. Cohesion policy, the flagship policy of solidarity of the EU, is now on the road, with the Parliament's blessing, to being just another military policy. This is shameful. We are, of course, all aware of the geopolitical realities. But is nothing sacred? Is absolutely everything now just fuel for the fire and drive towards the militarisation agenda of the EU? Our regions, all of them, need investment and need the EU to help protect jobs, develop our environment and support our workers in these very uncertain times. Yet this report, which I acknowledge has many strengths, says that spending on military infrastructure, disguised as so-called dual technology, is as important as investing in our workers or our infrastructure. Let's be clear that each cent diverted into military spending is a cent taken away from my constituency of Ireland South, and all of our regions. The EU cohesion policy that funded roads and funded jobs and funded some of our community childcare facilities in Ireland is now being used to feed the war machine. This is a new low and I call upon all MEPs, especially our Irish MEPs, to reject it.

Mr President, I could not support this report. The report put a strong emphasis on military matters for the European Union and I am not in favour of that. As an Irish Member, we are proud of our historic policy of neutrality. It is not right that the European Union is pushing us in Ireland to move towards a European Army. We have to stop this. That is why we were not able to support this. Thank you.

A Uachtaráin, across the globe, we are witnessing an increasing assault on international humanitarian law and human rights. This must be challenged regardless of where it takes place, and this Parliament must set the highest of standards when it comes to upholding the values of human rights and democracy. For us in Ireland, this Parliament must firmly oppose any rollback on justice for victims of the conflict in the north of our country. The British Government must respect the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, as it is an essential part of our human rights architecture. Given that Britain has signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, we in this Parliament must demand that they abide by rulings of the court. We need a victim-focused approach when it comes to the legacy of our past, so that families can finally have the justice that they are entitled to.

A Uachtaráin, whilst I welcome certain aspects of this report, particularly in recognition of the role of formal and informal carers in society, I ultimately cannot vote in favour. We are not fooled by calls for debt sustainability, which is in reality calls for a return to the failed policies of austerity. The call for sustainable pension systems is nothing more than Eurospeak for increasing the pension age on workers right across our Member States. The report speaks of demographic challenges without identifying the cause of these challenges. We have permitted regional imbalances and inequalities to persist and indeed deepen over the years. The challenges faced by our regions are down to bad policy, which makes education and housing so unaffordable for ordinary workers and families, and the challenges are due to a lack of opportunities. If we are serious about tackling these challenges, let us first recognise what has caused them, which is bad policy. What we need is to promote the social economy which puts workers and families front and centre. We need to lay the groundwork that gives them and their communities certainty and enables everyone to reach their full potential. It is incumbent upon us as legislators to address and improve working and living conditions for all of our citizens, and I suggest that we strive in this Chamber to achieve that in this term.

A Uachtaráin, as a Member from a country that cherishes our neutrality and recognises the benefits it has brought to the world, I want to express my opposition to any backsliding when it comes to the neutrality of Ireland. Our country has a proud history of UN-mandated peacekeeping missions, a tradition that has gone on for decades. Our neutrality has enabled us to maintain an independent foreign policy, and this is a strength that is valued and supported by the Irish people. It is therefore shameful that our Irish Government would try to use this real emergency to end the 'triple lock' policy, which is in place to protect our neutrality. The 'triple lock' is a core component of Ireland's independent foreign policy, and is enshrined in national declarations to the Irish people by governments in advance of a previous EU referendum. So if the Irish Government wants to remove this protection, it should put it to the people and have a referendum on it.

A Uachtaráin, I welcome this debate as we urgently need to address the crises in recruitment and retention in our disability and our health care sectors. In 2024, there was an estimated shortfall of around 1.6 million health and social care workers across the EU. In Ireland, we have the particularly unfair situation of Section 39 workers who work for privately owned charities and agencies that are contracted by the state to provide disability and health care services. Section 39 workers are being paid at an astounding 15 % less than their colleagues in the public sector. This is despite the fact that they do the exact same work. The unfair treatment of Section 39 workers must be addressed. If the Irish Government are serious about tackling the crisis in recruitment and retention, they must immediately deliver pay parity for all, including those Section 39 workers. Finally, colleagues, it is incumbent upon all of us as legislators to deliver equal pay for equal work for all. So let's work towards that endeavour in this Parliament and in our Member States.

Mr President, I want to raise the issue of domestic violence and a law that we should be enacting, which is called Valerie's Law. So currently, an absolutely horrific loophole exists within the law in Ireland and other Member States, which means that when a partner intentionally kills their partner, that person still retains guardianship rights of their shared children. It's actually difficult to believe that this is still the case, and that family and loved ones of those murdered, who are already going through the worst thing imaginable, have to then deal with the added trauma of challenging this in the courts. I want to commend in particular David French from Cork in Ireland. He has been campaigning vigorously to get this law changed, as his own sister Valerie was murdered by her partner a number of years ago. I want to call on the incoming Irish Justice Minister to change this in Ireland and enact Valerie's Law without delay. And I want to also call on this Parliament and the Justice Commissioner to ensure that Valerie's Law is enacted throughout our Member States. Children in these situations must be protected and legal loopholes must not add to their nightmare. Action is needed now.

Madam President, people with disabilities are entitled to the same rights, dignity and respect as everyone else in society, and I commend the progress made under the previous strategy for people with disabilities, particularly the introduction of the European Disability Card and the recent publication of guidance on independent living. It is hard to communicate everything you want to say in one minute, so I'm going to focus on the area of employment and personal assistant hours, and I think that these are very much interlinked. For someone to be successful in employment, they often will need the assistance of a personal assistant, and we have unfortunately not seen enough hours and resources go into this service. Employment is fundamental to independence, skill development, social inclusion and a sense of belonging. Just in Ireland, the disability employment gap stands at 38.6 %, which is significantly higher than the EU average of 24.4 %. And shockingly, for women with a disability, that gap is even worse at 45 %. Successive Irish governments have let generations of people with disabilities down, but also any future EU strategy for people with a disability must prioritise employment and personal assistance hours. The new strategy is our opportunity to shape a real, inclusive future for all. And I would argue that this requires more than just rhetoric or words or sheets of paper left idle on a shelf: it demands real, impactful action.

Madam President, previously in our national parliament in Ireland, I had the honour of chairing our children's committee for around four years. So, I know how important the issue of children's rights is. And children must be at the heart of EU policy. We need to tackle serious issues such as child poverty, child sexual abuse and the protection of children online. While I commend the vital work of the Intergroup, the EU must do a lot more. We need a dedicated forum to amplify children's voices and – I would argue – a dedicated committee to children. We also need to ensure that children's rights are actually fully realised and they do not become endless reports gathering dust on shelves. We need to ensure that action is taken. I also want to reference the situation in Palestine, because we cannot speak about children without speaking about the horrific situation that they find themselves in. How can the EU seriously claim to champion children's rights while refusing to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel? How can we talk about children's rights when Israeli bombs rain down on Gaza and children burn alive in tents? Every single child matters, no matter where they are born or where they come from. And every single child deserves the same rights, protections and opportunities.

A Uachtaráin, after all the drama and the delays, the deal is done and we will have five more years of Ursula von der Leyen. President von der Leyen, you are unacceptable to us on the left, and you are unacceptable to the Irish people, as an enabler of an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. What's more, your Commission is hell bent on passing the Mercosur Agreement – an agreement which is bad for farmers and for our environment. Your vision of the EU is one where workers rights and solidarity are just footnotes to your main agenda of militarisation and centralisation of powers in Brussels' hands. I want to speak directly to the Irish MEPs of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party. We see you and the Irish people are watching you very closely. It is not too late to do the right thing and vote against this Commission. The people of Ireland do not want this agenda – shame on any Irish MEP who supports it.

A Uachtaráin, firstly, I wish to commend Li Andersson for this progressive report. I welcome the emphasis on education, training, better pay and conditions. And I also note the key message that affordable housing is key to addressing social inequalities. A decent home is fundamental for every worker to thrive and prosper. In Ireland, workers are burdened with sky-high house prices and also rip-off rents. As we speak today, 14 000 people are homeless, which includes 4 000 children. For too long, the government in Ireland and, indeed, European institutions have been putting vested and financial interests ahead of workers and families. As legislators, we must act. We must repeal the Non-Performing Loans Directive, which is a directive for vulture funds, and we need to amend state aid rules and an exemption in the fiscal rules to enable us to invest in housing, which every single citizen of Europe should have as a right. We need to ensure workers are supported.

A Uachtaráin, last week in Ireland, it was revealed that EUR 158 million was left unspent in the mother and baby institution payment scheme. This was a redress scheme meant for survivors who suffered terribly at the hands of the State and religious institutions. And can I add that they were primarily women. I want to firstly pay tribute to all of those who are still fighting the cause for justice. This scheme was severely flawed. In fact, the commission of investigation process that investigated the situation was severely flawed as well. Over 40 % of survivors were left out of this scheme, and now, disgracefully, we see EUR 158 million left unspent. I want to reiterate my calls that the redress scheme needs to be far more comprehensive, far more inclusive, and it needs to ensure that all victims are included, and also that the religious institutions pay their fair share. They have been left to get away with a huge amount in our country.

A Uachtaráin, it is important that this Parliament recognises World Mental Health Day to raise awareness, reduce stigma and promote mental well-being throughout Europe. Issues around mental health reach us all. If we have not personally suffered, someone we know and love probably has and often in silence and solitude. There has been some improvement in tackling the stigma involved with mental health issues, which I welcome, but this is not enough. We need to see investment in the correct facilities and proper support for people suffering with mental health. In Ireland, we are facing a mental health emergency. The numbers on waiting lists for appointments are skyrocketing, particularly for children, thousands of whom are on waiting lists for first time appointments. Meanwhile, the government celebrates massive surpluses and budgets that do not provide the services people are crying out for. We in this House must send a clear and strong message that we need to do far better and we must make mental health a priority for this EU term.

A Uachtaráin, I warmly welcome the ECJ ruling that Apple must pay Ireland EUR 13 billion in unpaid taxes. The Irish Government wasted EUR 10 million of Irish taxpayers' money fighting a case, siding with one of the wealthiest corporations ever to exist. This should never have been the case. Money that would have been far better utilised in housing or health care or our disability sector was wasted defending the indefensible. Make no mistake, the money from the unpaid taxes wasn't spent on helping Apple workers or to improve their pay and conditions. It was not used to help them or their communities in any way. That is why it is vital now that the taxes due are paid immediately and that the funds need to be invested in our communities, in our urban and our rural communities, that for far too long have been left behind by successive governments.