What Seán spoke about.

7

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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The EU’s role in supporting the recent peace efforts for Gaza and a two-state solution (debate)

A Uachtaráin, today marks two years since the massive, violent and brutal attacks on Israeli citizens and the taking of 251 hostages. We will remember the victims and their families, as well as the innocent civilians of Gaza, who continue to suffer as collateral in this conflict. Yesterday's talks in Egypt on President Trump's Gaza peace plan offered a glimmer of hope. The plan centres around urge…

7

Oct

2025

EN Speech

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This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden (debate)

Mr President, Europe is made up of big countries and small countries, and often the small countries think the big countries dominate and yet we have one of the biggest countries – the United Kingdom – leaving the European Union under the pretext of a lack of sovereignty, which they are now beginning to realise is a mistake. On the contrary, small countries can make a huge contribution and you, you…

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Abdoul Aziz Goma, arbitrarily detained in Togo

A Uachtaráin, a Choimisinéir, 'I sacrifice my body to alert the world to the injustice we are experiencing. This fight is not just mine. It is that of all those who refuse arbitrariness. I urge you not to look away.' I open with the words of Abdoul Aziz Goma, an Irish citizen currently arbitrarily detained in Lomé in Togo. His crime? Hosting peaceful protesters calling for democratic reforms in To…

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Detention of EU citizens in the occupied areas of Cyprus

A Uachtaráin, just to rise in solidarity with our colleagues in Cyprus in this unfortunate and unacceptable situation. Coming from Ireland, where our country is not fully united yet – although we aspire to achieve unification sometime, hopefully in the near future – I can understand how Cyprus feels in relation to the occupation and also the arbitrary detention of people in that area. So I think C…

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Serious threats to aviation and maritime transport from Global Navigation Satellite System interference: urgent need to build resilience against spoofing and jamming (debate)

A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, the number of jamming and spoofing incidents targeting global navigation satellite systems has risen at an alarming rate, with an estimated 140 000 flights affected in 2024 alone. This is a real threat and it is one that has already cost lives: tragically, 38 people perished on an Azerbaijani Airlines flight in December, and there have been several near misses since. Sa…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Wave of violence and continuous use of force against protesters in Serbia (debate)

A Uachtaráin, a Choimisinéir, the scenes of force used against protesters in Serbia are completely unacceptable. Let us be clear: the right to assemble and to voice opposition to government is a basic democratic freedom, and it must be upheld, particularly in an aspiring EU Member State. Reports of unlawful crowd control tactics, intimidation, misuse of personal data, arrests of students and activ…

9

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution (debate)

A Uachtaráin, here we are again debating the undebatable. Colleagues will defend what is indefensible and we will be here until Netanyahu achieves his goal: total destruction of Gaza. Words cannot do justice to the human indignity that Netanyahu's enforced famine imposes on innocent Gazans. It is just heartbreaking to see young children with a bowl in their hands begging for food every day. Netany…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic

(Start of speech off mic) ... the Belgian-Portuguese researcher, Joseph Figueira Martin, and compliment them for raising this case. I think it's wonderful that we have MEPs here in the House who are prepared to, first of all, take the case, then research it, then come up with a resolution and then debate it here and then colleagues to vote on it, because these are cases where there are extreme vio…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai

A Uachtaráin, the European Union and the UAE enjoy a constructive and growing relationship and that's welcome. But we must be honest. Such partnerships cannot come at the expense of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses. Friendships must be grounded in shared respect for the rule of law and human dignity. I want to thank President Metsola for championing Ryan's case at the highest level in Du…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (debate)

Dia dhaoibh a chairde, I strongly welcome the European Council's conclusions on the Middle East and Gaza. The call for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and the path towards a permanent end to hostilities is most welcome. I spoke many times in this House about the utterly deplorable and unacceptable situation in Gaza. Our failure to act sooner and apply pressure on Isra…

19

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Institutional and political implications of the EU enlargement process and global challenges (debate)

President and Commissioner, it is important to give hope to countries that want to join the EU, because enlargement is one of the EU's greatest achievements. It has extended peace, democracy and shared prosperity across Europe, making it stronger, more united and better equipped to face global challenges. Ireland has always backed enlargement, but on principle. Accession must be earned: Each candi…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system (debate)

Mr. President, Mr. President, first of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to ... ... Anna Stürgkh, our very good rapporteur, and all the shadow rapporteurs for their excellent cooperation on this important report. This report is timely and strategic, and I look forward to seeing our recommendations taken up by the Commission in the forthcoming grids package later this year. I will m…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Stopping the genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions (topical debate)

A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, there are no two ways about it: the broader destabilisation we are witnessing across the Middle East right now is deeply worrying. We need restraint, we need de-escalation and, above all, we need leadership – not through bombs, but through dialogue and diplomacy. But let me say this, too: we cannot allow the broader conflict between Iran and Israel to distract from the …

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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Russian energy phase-out, Nord Stream and the EU's energy sovereignty (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the past few years have taught us the hard truth. We can never again be reliant on Russia, or any country for that matter, for something as vital as energy. For over a decade, many of us warned against locking ourselves into dependency on Russian gas. It took an unprovoked invasion, a supply shock and a cost of living crisis to wake Europe up. But this isn't just about Russia, it's a…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as regards simplifying and strengthening the carbon border adjustment mechanism (debate)

A Uachtaráin, I was honoured to be part of the European Parliament's delegation to the COP in Paris, where we agreed on the Paris Agreement. And I remember, before we went, talking to President Buzek and we were saying that Europe would agree to a reduction of emissions, and I said we should add 'provided other emitters do the same'. Now, they found out subsequently that they didn't. But thankfull…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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Single Market Strategy (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the EU single market is one of our greatest achievements, but it has yet to reach its full potential. Right now, too many barriers still stand in the way of businesses trying to trade across borders. The Commission's new strategy is a step in the right direction, aiming to crush red tape, modernise outdated rules and digitise how we do business. But we need to go further. If we are s…

21

May

2025

EN Speech

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The EU's response to the Israeli government's plan to seize the Gaza Strip, ensuring effective humanitarian support and the liberation of hostages (debate)

Madam President, I've pushed the button as soon as it was open, been here for the entire debate and not been taken. How many more MEPs are in that position? And secondly, how many MEPs were able to speak twice, once from the podium in their speaking time and then under the blue card? And is that fair to us MEPs who stayed here for this most important debate, that we were just left here and told 'S…

8

May

2025

GA Speech

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Competition policy – annual report 2024 (A10-0071/2025 - Lara Wolters)

Mr President, I support this resolution because it promotes a strategic and balanced approach to strengthen the EU’s competitiveness in a rapidly changing global environment. It stresses the importance of fair competition not only to stimulate innovation but also to protect consumers, but also to build long-term economic resilience across the EU. Above all, it links environmental and digital prior…

8

May

2025

EN Speech

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The role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season (A10-0079/2025 - Borys Budka)

Mr. President, I was pleased to vote for this report... Because it extends and revises the EU Gas Storage Regulation as it balances energy security with changing market conditions. Measures introduced during the 2022 gas crisis, especially mandatory storage targets, proved effective in stabilising supply and protecting citizens from price shocks. Extending them beyond 2025 is a smart step to prepa…

8

May

2025

EN Speech

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Ninth report on economic and social cohesion (A10-0066/2025 - Jacek Protas)

I was glad to vote for the ninth integration report. This report reaffirms the vital role of EU cohesion policy in promoting balanced development, reducing regional disparities and building long term socioeconomic resilience across the Union. The report rightly highlights the policy's positive impact on growth, productivity and employment, while stressing the importance of its core principles, suc…

8

May

2025

EN Speech

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EU action on treating and preventing diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular neurological diseases and measles (debate)

A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, across Europe, millions of citizens are affected by diseases that could be prevented, treated earlier and managed better if we act together. That is why I fully support the EU's stepped-up efforts on health, particularly in tackling cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and preventing avoidable illnesses like measles. Cancer alone claims nearly 1.3 million li…

7

May

2025

EN Speech

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Resilience and the need to improve the interconnection of energy grid infrastructure in the EU: the first lessons from the blackout in the Iberian Peninsula (debate)

A Uachtaráin, a Choimisinéir, let's get one thing out of the way first: the Iberian Peninsula remains almost an energy island – that's ridiculous in 2025. We need a binding interconnection target so that no Member State continues to be left isolated. But let's not fall into the trap of blaming this blackout just on interconnection, and certainly not on renewables. We know we can run a power system…

7

May

2025

EN Answer

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EU support for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace in Ukraine (debate)

My goodness, hasn't it been stated several times over and over again that Ukraine will be accepted into the European Union, it will become a member of the European Union and even Ursula von der Leyen said this morning the process will be speeded up for negotiations – is that not clear? To me it is. Maybe you don't understand. But that's logic. And it will happen when Russia is defeated, Ukraine is…

7

May

2025

EN Speech

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EU support for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace in Ukraine (debate)

A Uachtaráin, this Friday marks 80 years since the end of World War II. Unfortunately, the international system developed since is now in peril. Under Donald Trump, the US no longer positions itself as a neutral or principled mediator in global conflicts. Its mineral deal with Ukraine suggests that strategic and economic interests now shape who receives support in the face of tyranny. For now, Ukr…

3

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (RC-B10-0211/2025)

(The microphone didn't pick up the start of the speechvote for this report... ...as it condemns the rising violence against Christians in the DRC, and upholds religious freedom and security. The ADF, linked to the Islamic State, killed over 200 people in December 2024 alone. Forced displacement, abductions and executions of Christians continue unchecked, demanding urgent action. This resolution ca…