Tá leithscéal faighte againn ón Seanadóir Mullen.

Tá an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Byrne linn, Aire Stáit do ghnóthaí an Aontas Eorpach. He is going to update and engage the committee on developments at the General Affairs Council, GAC, and on planning for the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Minister of State is accompanied by officials from his Department, who are very welcome. I particularly acknowledge Ms Síle Maguire and Ms Maeve Von Heynitz.

As members know, the GAC is a body that prepares the meetings of the European Council and has responsibility for several cross-sectoral policy areas. Since our last engagement, it has met five times, most recently on St. Patrick’s day. It discussed a range of topics, including competitiveness and the Single Market, the proposed European Union budget for 2028 to 2034, European defence and security, and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Before we begin, this is the perennial note on privilege. Witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. We have members online, so I remind them of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of Leinster House in order to participate in public meetings. If they are not, they should let us know because they will not be permitted to add anything to the meeting. Therefore, they may be asked to desist in that instance.

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá cúig nóiméad aige dá ráiteas, agus tá cóip den ráiteas sin ag gach éinne. Ina dhiaidh sin, táimid chun ceisteanna a thógáil ó bhaill den choiste. Gabhaim buíochas leis as a bheith linn.

On the basis that the members have the English version of my statement, I will read it in Irish. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na comhaltaí as an gcuireadh teacht os a gcomhair inniu. Tosaímis trí nuashonrú a thabhairt dóibh maidir le pleanáil Uachtaránacht an Aontais Eorpaigh atá beagnach i gcrích anois agus níos lú ná 100 lá fágtha go dtí tús ár dtéarma. Mar is eol do na comhaltaí, tá ullmhúcháin Uachtaránacht an Aontais Eorpaigh faoi stiúradh an Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála i ndlúthchomhar le Roinn an Taoisigh agus le rannpháirtíocht ghníomhach na Ranna Rialtais uile. Tá dea-theist orainn maidir le hUachtaránacht an Aontais Eorpaigh rathúla, agus táimid muiníneach, le tacaíocht ár gcomhpháirtithe, go mbeimid in ann ár gcion a dhéanamh go suntasach, dearfach don Aontas Eorpach arís.

Mar is eol do na comhaltaí, is é an cogadh atá ar siúl sa Mheán Oirthear, a thionchar geilleagrach, agus mór-ionradh na Rúise ar an Úcráin is mó atá i gceist le clár oibre na hEorpa faoi láthair. Ag comhairle gnóthaí ginearálta an Aontais Eorpaigh, táimid go léir, agus mise ach go háirithe, dírithe ar na saincheisteanna seo, fara dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar chaibidlíocht maidir le buiséad fadtéarmach an Aontais Eorpaigh, an creat airgeadais ilbhliantúil do 2028 – 2034. Freastalóidh mise ar an gcomhairle gnóthaí ginearálta neamhfhoirmiúil ar an 10 Bealtaine in Nicosia arna hóstáil ag Uachtaránacht na Cipire. Ba chóir tabhairt faoi deara gur cuireadh an cruinniú seo siar ó mhí an Mhárta i bhfianaise na staide slándála sa réigiún. Bhí taithí ag roinnt baill den choiste seo nó coiste eile a bhí ag dul go dtí na Cipire an tseachtain chéanna. Freastalóidh mé ar an gcéad comhairle gnóthaí ginearálta foirmiúil eile atá le bheith ar siúl ar an 26 Bealtaine sa Bhruiséil do phlé ar na hábhair thábhachtacha seo.

Tá na caibidlíochtaí ag dul ar aghaidh go gasta ó d'fhoilsigh an Coimisiún togra don chreat airgeadais ilbhliantúil i mí Iúil na bliana seo caite. Ó shin i leith, táim fearas an Taoiseach, Airí Rialtais eile agus oifigí ag tacú le seasamh ríthábhachtach agus lárnach na hÉireann ó chomhbheartas talmhaíochta tréanláidir a chinntiú, ciste iomaíochais a sholáthraíonn do thionscadal digiteacha agus nascachta agus ár gceannaireacht den scoth i gcúnamh daonnúil agus forbartha a choinneáil. Tá ár dtosaíochtaí soiléir agus táimid páirteach go gníomhach.

Cé go bhfuil caibidlíocht ar siúl, bhíomar in ann tograí a bhogadh go rathúil chun tosaíochtaí na hÉireann a chur chun cinn ar bhealach níos soiléire, ach tá obair fós le déanamh. De réir mar a ghluaiseann Éire i dtreo ról bróicéar macánta le teacht ar chomhréitigh inoibrithe le linn ár nUachtaránachta Aontais Eorpaigh, táthar ag súil go mbeidh ról lárnach ríthábhachtach againn agus an CAI a bhogadh go dtí céim ard. Le linn Uachtaránacht na hÉireann ar an Aontas Eorpach, i mo ról mar Chathaoirleach ar an gComhairle Gnóthaí Ginearálta, áit a ndéantar idirbheartaíocht ar an CAI sula mbogann sé chuig an gComhairle Eorpach, táimid tiomanta é seo a sheachadadh a thabharfaí go leor deiseanna d'Éire agus go gach ballstát san Aontas Eorpach. Táimid dírithe go mór ar an gclár oibre iomaíochais, ag tacú leis na díospóireachtaí tábhachtacha ar leibhéal ceannairí an Aontais Eorpaigh níos luaithe i mbliana, rud a thug spreagadh nua do chlár oibre iomaíochais an Aontais Eorpaigh. Tá an Taoiseach ag rá go gceapann sé gur féidir le hÉirinn jab an-mhaith a dhéanamh maidir le cúrsaí iomaíochais. Ag an gComhairle Eorpach i mí an Mhárta, leag ceannairí amach amlínte uaillmhianacha chun raon beart tábhachtach a sheachadadh. Beidh sé ina phríomhthasc dár nUachtaránacht ar an Aontas Eorpach teacht ar chomhaontú maidir leis na bearta seo.

Maidir le simpliú, tacaíonn an Rialtas go láidir le clár oibre an Aontais Eorpaigh, rud a chreidimid atá ina chuid riachtanach de na hiarrachtaí chun iomaíochas an Aontais Eorpaigh a neartú. Cuirimid fáilte roimh na deich bpacáiste omnibus a mhol an Coimisiún go dtí seo, agus táimid ag tnúth le tuilleadh pacáistí sna míonna amach romhainn. Go háirithe, rinneamar abhcóideacht ar son bearta simpliúcháin a fhéadfaidh tacú le soláthar tithíochta inacmhainne agus bonneagair ríthábhachtach go hinmheánach. Is tosaíochtaí dúinn freisin simpliú rialacha an Aontais Eorpaigh maidir le cúrsaí digiteacha, soláthar poiblí, feistí leighis agus dífhoraoisiú.

Caithfidh simpliú díriú ar rialáil níos fearr, ní ar dhírialáil. Ní mór dúinn díriú ar an ualach rialála a laghdú, deireadh a chur le maorlathas neamhriachtanach, agus uaillmhian ard a choinneáil ag an am céanna, i dtéarmaí cosaintí tomhaltóirí agus comhshaoil agus caighdeáin eile. Is é an t-iomaíochas a chinntíonn go n-éiríonn le geilleagar na hEorpa agus go n-éiríonn lena shaoránaigh. Leanfaimid orainn chun tábhacht chlár oibre iomaíochais an Aontais Eorpaigh a chur chun cinn, rud a thacóidh le fás, athnuachan thionscal na hEorpa, agus méadú ar athléimneacht.

I gcroílár chlár oibre an iomaíochais tá an Margadh Aonair, a thug rochtain dár gcuideachtaí ar mhargadh 450 milliún duine. Éacht uathúil de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh is ea an Margadh Aonair agus tá tionchar claochlaitheach aige ar gheilleagar agus ar shaol na saoránach ar fud an Aontais, lena n-áirítear ar ár n-oileán féin. Mar sin féin, tá dúshláin iomaíochais roimh an Eoraip in a lán gnéithe. Ar chuid de na dúshláin seo tá an dúshlán leanúnach maidir leis an Margadh Aonair a chomhlánú i seirbhísí chomh maith le hearraí, costais fhuinnimh atá ag éirí níos airde, an gá atá le níos mó infheistíochta i dtaighde agus nuáil, agus an gá atá le hathléimneacht a mhéadú inár dtionscail.

Fáiltím roimh an plé táirgiúil a bhí ar siúl idir ceannairí ag Comhairle Eorpach mhí an Mhárta chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na ceisteanna seo. Áirítear leis seo an tiomantas do spriocanna agus d'amlínte daingne sa treochlár "Eoraip amháin, margadh amháin" agus sa chomhaontú do mhargadh amháin. Tá sé beartaithe againn go leor de na comhaid, a pléadh le linn an chruinnithe seo, a chur chun cinn le linn ár nUachtaránachta ar an Aontas Eorpach. Go sonrach, tá fúinn leanúint leis an dul chun cinn ar chaibidlíocht faoin 28ú córas, EU Inc. mar a ghlaoitear air anois, aontas an choigiltis agus an infheistíochtaí, agus an tAcht um Luasghéarú Tionsclaíoch. Maidir leis an 28ú córas, tá an Coimisinéir Michael McGrath i gceannas ar sin sa Choimisiún.

Maidir lenár gcaidreamh leis an Ríocht Aontaithe, d'oscail an chéad chruinniú mullaigh idir an tAontas Eorpach agus an Ríocht Aontaithe i mí na Bealtaine seo caite, caibidil nua dhearfach sa chaidreamh idir an AE agus an RA, le torthaí tairbhiúla do shaoránaigh an Aontais Eorpaigh agus na Ríochta Aontaithe. Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh an dul chun cinn leanúnach maidir le torthaí an chruinnithe mullaigh a chur chun cinn, go háirithe an uaillmhian a comhaontaíodh chun caibidlíocht a thabhairt chun críche maidir le scéim taithí don óige, faoi limistéar sláintíochta agus fíteashláintíochta coiteann a bhunú agus faoinár gcóras trádála astaíochtaí a nascadh, faoin gcéad chruinniú mullaigh eile. Le chéile, cuirfidh na torthaí seo buntáistí fíor ar fáil do shaoránaigh ar fud na hÉireann, an Aontais Eorpaigh agus na Ríochta Aontaithe trí theagmhálacha duine le duine a neartú, trádáil a fheabhsú agus ualaí riaracháin a laghdú do ghnólachtaí agraíbhia, fara tacú le comhoibriú comhshaoil.

Le seachtainí beaga anuas, thug an Chomhairle údarás leis do Choimisiún an Aontais Eorpaigh caibidlíocht a thosú faoi rannpháirtíocht na Ríochta Aontaithe i margadh inmheánach leictreachais an Aontais Eorpaigh. Mar is eol don choiste, beidh comhaontú den sórt sin tairbheach d'Éirinn, go háirithe maidir le slándáil fuinnimh, agus tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go tapa leis na caibidlíochtaí sin. I measc réimsí tosaíochta eile, tá méadú an Aontais Eorpaigh agus forbairtí ar an smacht reachta. Bhí a lán dea-scéala maidir le sin i rith na seachtaine seo.

Le seachtainí agus míonna beaga anuas, léirigh an coiste seo an spéis láidir atá ag Éirinn i méadú an Aontais Eorpaigh, trí bhualadh le hionadaithe ambasáide ó thíortha is iarrthóirí ar an Aontas Eorpach, trí bhualadh le toscaireachtaí ar cuairt ó thíortha agus iarrthóirí ar an Aontas Eorpach, agus trí bhualadh le hoifigigh sa Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála atá ag obair ar mhéadú an Aontais Eorpaigh. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gcoiste as a rannpháirtíocht sa réimse seo le bliain anuas.

Beidh an smacht reachta ina thosaíocht ard freisin le linn ár nUachtaránachta ar an Aontas Eorpach. Is abhcóide láidir í Éire do na croíluachanna a leagadh amach sa chonradh, ag obair le comhpháirtithe agus institiúidí araon le tabhairt faoi dhúshláin don smacht reachta. Éileoidh sé seo comhráite macánta, oscailte faoi chúlú an daonlathais laistigh den Aontas. Bhí dea-scéala agus níos mó dóchais againn i rith na seachtaine seo.

Maidir le trádáil idirnáisiúnta, tacaíonn Éire le córas trádála oscailte, iltaobhach, bunaithe ar rialacha – beartais saorthrádála agus fás geilleagrach, agus clár trádála uaillmhianach an Aontais Eorpaigh a chur chun cinn. Mar bhall den Aontas Eorpach, tá rochtain ag Éirinn ar an líonra trádála is mó ar domhan, le comhaontuithe aonair a chlúdaíonn caidreamh trádála le breis agus 70 tír, agus a cheadaíonn rochtain tosaíochta ar an margadh do chuideachtaí Éireannacha agus Eorpacha. Fara comhaontuithe a tugadh i gcrích le déanaí leis an India agus leis an Astráil, tá an líonra comhaontuithe sin á neartú i gcónaí, agus roinnt comhaontuithe faoi chaibidil faoi láthair, lena n-áirítear an Mhalaeisia, an Téalainn, na hOileáin Fhilipíneacha, agus Aontas na nÉimíríochtaí Arabacha.

Gabh mo leithscéal, a Aire, glaodh vóta sa Dáil ceithre nóiméad ó shin. An féidir linn sos a dhéanamh ansin agus tiocfaimid ar ais i gceann 15 nóiméad nó mar sin? We will take the vote now. I am assuming the Minister is not paired any more than the rest of us. We will suspend for 15 minutes. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Gabhaim leithscéal, a Aire Stáit, as cur isteach ort agus tú ag críochnú do ráiteas. Is féidir leat leanúint ar aghaidh leis agus ansin beidh ceisteanna againn.

Bhí orainn ár ndualgais bunreachtúla a bhaint amach sa seomra Dála. Tá sé seo ríthábhachtach agus sinn ag iarraidh ár slabhraí soláthair ríthábhachtacha a éagsúlú, ár sreafaí trádála a mhéadú, agus margaí eile a oscailt do chuideachtaí Éireannacha.

Tá imní mhór ar Éirinn freisin faoin gcoimhlint atá ar siúl sa Mheánoirthear. Fáiltímid roimh an sos cogaidh le déanaí i réigiún na Murascaille, agus tá súil againn go bhféadfaidh gach páirtí tógáil air, chun deireadh buan na coimhlinte a bhaint amach. Ní mór don sos cogaidh leathnú amach go dtí an Liobáin freisin. Tá ionsaithe Hezbollah cáinte againn agus tá iarrtha againn ar Iosrael a hoibríochtaí míleata a stopadh. Ar bhonn níos leithne, táimid fós an-bhuartha faoin staid dhaonnúil uafásach i nGaza, agus faoi leibhéil an fhoréigin agus na gníomhaíochtaí lonnaíochta i measc lonnaitheoirí sa Bhruach Thiar.

Mar is eol daoibh go léir, is iomaí dúshlán geopolaitiúil romhainn, faraor. Ní mór dúinn ár dtiomantas don iltaobhachas agus don dlí idirnáisiúnta a athdhearbhú. Ní mór dúinn leanúint ag tacú leis an Úcráin agus brú a choinneáil ar an Rúis. Le míonna beaga anuas, dhírigh an plé san Aontas Eorpach ar a chinntiú go leanfaidh an Úcráin de bheith in ann rochtain a fháil ar an maoiniú atá uaithi, agus brú a choinneáil ar an Rúis, lena n-áirítear trí smachtbhannaí spriocdhírithe láidre. Tacaíonn Éire go hiomlán le hiarrachtaí chun dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar chonair na hÚcráine i dtreo aontachais san Aontas Eorpach. Chuireas na teachtaireachtaí seo in iúl le linn mo mhisean Lá Fhéile Pádraig chuig an Úcráin, mar a rinne an tAire McEntee nuair a thug sí cuairt ar Kyiv i mí an Mhárta.

Le níos lú ná 100 lá fágtha, glacfaidh Éire Uachtaránacht an Aontais Eorpaigh ag am ríthábhachtach dár nAontas. Táimid réidh chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin seo, go díreach, agus chun oibriú gan staonadh chun clár oibre an Aontais Eorpaigh a chur chun cinn le linn ár dtéarma 6 mhí, ar mhaithe le torthaí níos fearr a bhaint amach do mhuintir na hEorpa agus muintir na hÉireann.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gcoiste agus táim ag súil le ceisteanna na comhaltaí.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Táimid chun dul go dtí ceisteanna na mball anois. Members will be aware that there is a five-minute limit on questions and answers. There are a number of members indicating. I do not know whether Deputy Gogarty is online. I will go to Deputy Seán Crowe if he is ready. I will then go to Deputy Gogarty if he is in a position to come in, and then to Senator O'Loughlin.

I welcome the Minister. In the English version of his opening statement, the Minister mentions the British-EU summit. It reads:

I very much welcome the continued progress on advancing the Summit outcomes, in particular the agreed ambition to conclude negotiations on a Youth Experience Scheme, on establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area and on linking our Emissions Trading System, by the next Summit.

I do not know what "Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area" means.

The youth experience scheme does not really matter to us. It matters to Europe quite a lot, but it does not really affect us because we have the common travel area already.

As a broad point, relations between the EU and the UK are very important to us for many reasons. We had the summit last year and we are actually progressing many of these matters. We are looking at creating a sanitary and phytosanitary area and, as I said, linking the emissions trading scheme. There is a lot that will result from that.

Negotiations have been taking place between the EU and the UK. Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds has represented the UK and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič represents the EU side. A sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, agreement will reduce the administrative burden on agrifood businesses exporting to the UK. For example, for Northern Ireland, an EU-GB SPS agreement, together with the Windsor Framework, would ensure that the benefits of the agreement would be extended to the movement of agrifood goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It is actually going to really help reduce a lot of the friction between Scotland and Northern Ireland and, indeed, between Holyhead and Dublin on the food checking side. That is probably the easiest way of saying it in terms of SPS.

This was a major issue during Brexit. We had to put up what were effectively Department of agriculture checks on food and plants. That caused an awful lot of difficulty. We are trying to negotiate an agreement that would give big benefit to Great Britain as part of the UK and good benefit to us and the rest of the European Union. Those negotiations are under way. We are continuing to ensure that Ireland's commitment is not just to protect the Single Market of the European Union, which is very important to us, but to ensure that the all-island economy remains part of the European Commission's focus.

The youth experience scheme is essentially the right of young people to live and study in the UK and vice versa with other member states. It does not impact on us because we have the full rights to do so anyway, as part of the common travel area. Those issues are being negotiated at the moment between the EU and the UK and we will see what results from that. We want to see good results on them and we have great confidence in the negotiating teams - certainly on our own side, which is the EU side, but also on the British side because they want to see a positive outcome to this and real economic benefits.

I still do not really understand. It is just the term "Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area".

It is plants and animals. It is health and welfare checks. It is not customs checks specifically, but the agricultural checks on plants as well as animal health and welfare, essentially. Unfortunately, Brexit brought huge focus to both issues. This will help to relieve a lot of the pressure. Indeed, a lot of people in the North of Ireland had huge complaints about some of the issues arising out of this. Of course, we have the Windsor Framework, but this will lead to an easing of the burden between Great Britain and the EU.

The Minister of State also spoke on the simplification and deregulation. His statement referred to "better regulation, not deregulation" in terms of the "simplification measures that can support the delivery of affordable housing and critical infrastructure domestically." Can the Minister of State give us some examples of what he was referring to? The statement "eliminating unnecessary red tape, while maintaining high ambition" in terms of consumer-----

The "simplification agenda" is one of what I call Euro-lingo terms. Everyone in Brussels seems to know exactly what it means but almost nobody outside of Brussels could have any possible idea what a word like "simplification" could mean. What it does mean is reducing the administrative burden on business. There has been a recognition through the likes of the Draghi report and the experience of businesses in general that many EU regulations and the requirements under them have gone beyond what is necessary to achieve the ambitions of the legislation, be they environmental, worker protection or otherwise. We have always been really focused on reducing the administrative burden on companies to allow business to do better, to create employment opportunities and opportunities for business. We, as Ireland, are very clear that we do not see this as deregulation. We do not want deregulation; we want to maintain the ambition, but we really feel we need better regulation.

So far, the European Commission has tabled what are called omnibus packages, which are basically packages of laws that deal with a range of policy areas. The first one was on sustainability, reporting and due diligence. The second is called InvestEU. The third one is on the Common Agricultural Policy. The fourth one was on small mid-caps, digitalisation, common specifications and battery due diligence. The fifth was on defence readiness. The sixth was on chemicals, the seventh on digital, the eight on environment, the ninth on automotive and the tenth on food and feed safety. The estimate is that, when these come through, they will lead to a reduction. All they are trying to do is reduce administrative burdens. The Commission reckons the value of them is about €12 billion a year in terms of the reduction of administrative burden. So far, only three of them have gone through because they have to go through the member states and the European Parliament. The Deputy's European Parliament colleagues will be working on these files and may well have different views than we have on them. That is a matter for everyone to take their own political decisions on.

As the Irish Government, we are certainly supportive of this. It is likely that, during Ireland's Presidency, there will be further simplification proposals tabled this year, including on taxation, energy products legislation and citizens, and there could be others.

We have set out some of our national priorities on the simplification agenda. We want the agenda to support the delivery of affordable housing and critical infrastructure. We believe that targeted simplification and refinement of certain EU environmental rules would be helpful in this regard. At the same time, we are very clear that we want to maintain the environmental ambition. We want to maintain high ambition in terms of environmental protection and other standards. We also want to see the simplification of EU digital rules as another priority, along with public procurement, medical devices and some rules around deforestation. Again, the point is that better regulation delivers for people, not deregulation. It is about reducing the regulatory burden but not reducing the social benefit that regulations have or are supposed to have.

Great. It appears that the simplification agenda is far from simple.

It is not.

Next is Senator O'Loughlin and then it is Deputy Gogarty.

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. I have no doubt this is an incredibly busy time. He mentioned how hard everybody will work during the six months' Presidency but I have no doubt that everybody is working every bit as hard now on preparations. It is good to see an emphasis on competitiveness, simplification and cutting red tape because that is what we want to see. During the six months of the Irish Presidency, there will be a focus on enlargement. I am really glad to hear the Minister of State talk about where we are globally in terms of the Middle East, Ukraine and Gaza. I hope that during the six-month period that we can do something meaningful on that.

I wish to mention the seismic election result in Hungary. It is one of the most important elections in Europe this year. It is good that for now we can say goodbye to Orbán and his Fidesz party following the election of a pro-European party. That new situation will make a big difference in collegiality within the EU, standing against Russia and, indeed, standing against some of what President Trump has espoused. What is the Minister of State's view on that?

From July, 260 meetings will take place in Ireland. The Minister of State has given a commitment that many of the meetings will take place outside of Dublin, which is welcome. Next week, I will meet the Austrian ambassador to discuss events that can be arranged in Kildare because of the twinning of towns.

In terms of transport for the Presidency, a lot of people will arrive at Irish airports. I assume that most people will arrive at Dublin Airport and travel into the city centre. What plans have been made for that?

The Senator first mentioned the Middle East. Our position on the Middle East remains the same. Foreign security policy is a matter that requires unanimity at Council level.

When Ireland takes on the Council Presidency, we will play the honest broker role. Even then, the Foreign Affairs Council or, indeed, the leaders at the European Council, they have their own chair. António Costa is the President of the European Council and Kaja Kallas is the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. They chair those meetings.

I reiterate that in these areas we are required to be an honest broker and garner agreement. On the area of foreign policy, we have seen very different views. On the situation in Gaza and the Middle East generally, we always try to engage with people as to why they have different views. Some countries have deep-seated views on these issues, including ourselves. Everyone comes to it from an honest point of view. We will continue to use our voice at a global level whether it is at the EU, or the UN, to pursue the policies that we have consistently supported. I think everybody supports a ceasefire, particularly on the Iranian side and also Lebanon. There are areas where everybody can find agreement. Foreign policy is one of those areas where it is not simple when you are at the European table because there are different views and every member state has a veto. It is a veto that in referendums we have all fought to keep. We do not tend to wield it too much but it is something that is important for the national interest of every member state.

I am happy to join the Taoiseach in congratulating Péter Magyar who convincingly won the election in Hungary. I was going to say Magyar, Péter because somebody told me that in Hungary it is nicer to say the surname first, which is what they do but I am not going to pretend that I know how to speak Hungarian. To see him today on television in Hungary, maybe for the first time ever, after the election is extraordinary. That is the way that country went. We all knew that they were not allowed on the media but it is only when people see that the guy who won the election was never on telly or radio in that country that you can see the depths to which Hungary had fallen. I am not revealing confidences but at the last meeting of the General Affairs Council, where the issue of Hungary was discussed, my counterparts had run completely run out of patience with Hungary and the result of the election has led to a great sigh of relief by the Hungarian people and member states.

Nine weeks ago, I met Péter Magyar at the Munich Security Conference. I had a conversation with him in Munich and obviously, while I did not get involved in the Hungarian election, it is a new dawn for Hungary. We look forward to strengthening bilateral relations, which have not been that strong. We have an embassy in Hungary but there have been no high-level meetings in quite some time. I had meetings with my previous counterpart but I have never met the outgoing minister in this job.

During the Irish Presidency of the EU, we will have interesting discussions about Hungary because they will now engage with the European Commission to unwind some of the money, like what happened in Poland. We will keep the rule of law high on the agenda because we cannot allow any other country to go down that path. Not only did Hungary mess up on the rule of law, they closed down the opportunities for non-government people to go on television and went after civil society. The result of all that is that Hungary now has the worst economy in the European Union, which is a change from being one of the strongest economies. There is a direct connection between populism and damaging the rule-of-law standards of a country, and the economic performance of a country. Hungary is the prime example of that.

We wish the new Hungarian Government every success. At the European table, Ireland will be very open to helping and supporting Hungary in doing what is necessary to unlock some European funds that have been denied to them. Ironically, some of the areas that badly lost out due to the lack of European funds were some of the cities where Orbán support was never as strong as the rest of the country. That point was made to us at various times by a number of MEPs. That situation will change. I am proud that all Members of these Houses took a very firm stand on the rule of law in Hungary and other member states. Indeed, when the conditionality regulation was brought into the European Council a number of years ago, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was one of those who negotiated this and we stood strong on that.

On the EU Presidency, the total number of meetings that we have programmed to take place in Ireland is 283. That is quite a lot of meetings. I am not sure what I said before but we do want to hold 25% of meetings outside of Dublin. We are close to that percentage and are still working on our target. We are also trying to get as broad a regional spread as we can but that is tricky. There is another 140 associated meetings so far. These are meetings for organisations that have come in to us to look for the Presidency logo or be part of the Presidency but such meetings are not organised by the Irish Government. There is an open door for anyone who wants to apply to host an event associated with the Presidency during our Presidency. That is happening. Even today I invited one organisation to consider taking that road. There will be a lot of events.

On transport plans, the security situation is quite difficult globally. That was seen in Cyprus and Denmark. That is seen in Lithuania, which will take over the Presidency after us. Security is a common problem all around the European Union. The Garda is taking security very seriously and hosting events outside of Dublin increases the cost of security.

Dublin Castle is obviously the most central place for the vast majority of high-level meetings. Once you go beyond that there is a cost but we have to balance that with the need to have meetings around the country.

In terms of Dublin Airport, my officials in the Department are working very closely with the Dublin Airport Authority in trying to see how we can move people, particularly Ministers, in a way that keeps them secure, keeps them safe and keeps the movement efficient, and which does not interfere with members of the public who will be using the airport. We are looking at some of the older buildings in Dublin Airport to see if we can have a separate area for Ministers from other counties coming from abroad - not Ministers from Ireland just to be clear - in a way that keeps them safe and secure and does not interfere with the overall running of the airport. We want to make sure that people's flights can take place as efficiently as possible while high-level meetings are taking place and Ministers are coming in from other countries. We will probably have more to say about that in the coming weeks.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a ráiteas agus a chuid freagraí ina dhiaidh. Greetings from the Leinster House complex. I would rather be there in person but I have a little bit of an injury that makes it easier for me to stand. I have a couple of questions in relation to the Presidency and on foot of the Minister of State's presentation. I will just start off with the current fuel crisis and the war in Iran if I may. In terms of the priorities of the Presidency, no more than ever before there is the issue of energy self-sufficiency in Ireland, and of course in Europe as well, where some countries are still dependent on Russian gas, for example. We need to be more self-sufficient in renewable energy projects. The first question for the Minister of State is whether this is included in the initial programme? If not, can the Minister of State reschedule to add this in? If this crisis ends in the next couple of weeks or months, it is going to come back again. As a Union and as a country we need to be ready for future shocks and not be dependent on imported fossil fuels from elsewhere.

My second question relates to the visit by the Ukrainian delegation today. I do not know whether the Minister of State met them today; I presume he did. A number of committee members got a chance to talk to what was quite a large delegation. We talked about the various chapters of the EU accession process and how they are delighted to be making progress in quite a few areas. On a side note, it was interesting to see that one of the challenging issues is that of subsidiarity and regional designation. The way the regional designations are structured at the moment does not quite fit in terms of how one would access cohesion funds. The message coming from the Ukrainians was first that an opportunity has been opened up with the Hungarian elections to try to make progress in some of the chapters. The hope is that the current Hungarian Administration would be less likely to block things, not least because of the moneys they are awaiting. Ukraine definitely wants a focus during the Presidency and obviously it is in our gift and in our strategic interest as supporters of the Ukrainian people. They want to see the sanctions imposed from the European Union perspective to continue as strongly as possible. They want to free up the €90 billion in funds that are due to come to Ukraine. Ukraine is one question and the other question relates to energy self-sufficiency.

The environment and the energy issue is constantly a major issue of focus particularly for the leaders and at the meetings of the climate and energy ministers. Undoubtedly it will be a huge priority during our Presidency. At the most recent European Council, the leaders discussed energy and the energy crisis was obviously a huge focus of the last discussion. We have seen increases in prices all around the European Union. We have also seen a reduction of tax by the Government in this country to try to meet some of the increases in the prices, which has brought our figures down compared to other countries. The price that Irish people are paying is now lower than, not all but certainly most of, the western European countries at the moment. The latest update we have is that the President of the Commission is going to publish a communication on the proposed way forward, on what the Commission is proposing on energy and on what member states can do to address the energy crisis. That will be published I believe next Wednesday. This would be ahead of the European Council informal meeting of leaders next week on 23 and 24 April. President von der Leyen will publish a document then and that will lead to work at a European level and probably at member state level after that. Without any shadow of a doubt this is going to be a big issue for our Presidency because this crisis is not going to end any time soon. We keep saying that we can have all the plans we want for the Presidency but crises happen. This crisis has happened now under the Cyprus Presidency. When he was the Minister for Finance Bertie Ahern told me that in the run up to the 1990 Presidency senior Government Ministers would meet every week to talk about the Presidency and to plan everything. He said that towards the end of 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and German reunification became a major issue during Ireland's Presidency. In fact we are credited with helping to facilitate it at the European Council meeting in Dublin. We undoubtedly will deal with any crises that arise and at the moment the energy crisis is one of the biggest issues affecting the people of Europe. The price increases are affecting citizens of the European Union in a similar way all across the continent.

I did not meet the Ukrainian delegation today but I have had meetings with Ukrainian politicians at every level on a very regular basis during my time as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, this time and indeed previously. I know a lot of the senior politicians. I congratulate the Ukrainian Government and the Ukrainian Parliament for the work they are doing to advance the accession of Ukraine to the European Union, notwithstanding the fact that at the moment Hungary has blocked the opening of negotiations. I cannot predict what the new Hungarian Government will do but I do know that this would be a very big question for us and a very big priority for us in the context of moving things along with Hungary, namely, that we would officially open the negotiations with Ukraine and therefore with Moldova because they have kind of got caught up with the Ukrainian negotiation even though they are not directly linked. We also want to make sure we can unlock the €90 billion loan from the European Union to Ukraine, which is being made available out of so-called headroom in the EU's long-term budget. At the moment, while having said they would not be taking part in that loan, Hungary actually blocked the rest of the member states that are taking part from advancing it, which was a ridiculous policy for them but I suppose they wanted to have some leverage. If I am to predict, I cannot see the new Hungarian Government blocking this any more. They still may not take part in it but I really would predict they would remove the block. Again, that is a matter for them and they are not in power at the moment, yet.

I will probably criss-cross on a couple of issues while on a very specific issue. Deputy Crowe was dealing with some of the outworkings post Brexit and whatever else. I get that the Minister of State might not actually be dealing with this necessarily at the General Affairs Council but it is just one of those legacy issues. Given the week that is in it, the issue is the hauliers and the cross-Border levy circumstances. Is the Minster of State aware of it? I think there has been some element of communication. It is not within the gift of the Northern Ireland Executive. It has to be dealt with at British governmental level. My understanding is there has been some engagement. I am just trying to get an update on this.

I will have to come back to the Deputy on that. Whatever it is about, it is not on my desk.

No, that is all right.

I will come back to the Deputy.

That is fair enough. It is just about trying to deal with all those-----

To be clear, the bottom line is that we want to have freedom of movement of people and goods on the island of Ireland. That is something the Government has emphasised as our ambition all through the Brexit process. We keep reminding our colleagues in Europe of its importance as well. I am very grateful to our colleagues in Europe for understanding, in some considerable detail, the difficulties and peculiarities we have on the island.

I went to Latvia and met an MP several years ago, and his detailed knowledge of the Border situation was just incredible. I am very grateful to people like him and MPs and ministers all across the European Union who took time to visit during Brexit, engage with this committee probably, meet politicians, and who really understand our position. On that basis, I have gone out of my way, and the Government and Taoiseach have too, to understand many of these countries' positions today, particularly vis-à-vis defence, where they feel themselves subject to very serious threat from Russia. It is incumbent on all of us to understand their positions, understand where they are coming from and try to help them within the confines of the European Union, insofar as it can help them in these sectors.

I appreciate that. I also agree with the Minister of State that, during that entire period, we saw a huge amount of interaction and interest. Everyone was committed to ensuring Ireland's voice was heard. It showed too not only solidarity with Ireland but the importance of the Single Market.

If we are looking at the issues in relation to geopolitics now, nobody is going to sit here and say anything else about Donald Trump other than that it is an illegal war he should not be engaged in, that he is being led by the nose by Israel and all the rest of it. What are the views generally espoused by those the Minister of State is talking to? They would have had different views over the years than we would have had in relation to Israel and the Palestinians. Where do they stand at the minute? There is also the issue that Europe is also somewhat on tenterhooks concerning everything that relates to trade, Ukraine, etc., as regards Donald Trump.

In terms of foreign policy, there are different views around the table on a variety of issues. In relation to Israel and Palestine, I think that, broadly, there is support for a two-state solution. Not every country has recognised Palestine, but broadly there is support for that approach. I would also say that there is strong condemnation of the actions of illegal settlers and a strong interest in sanctioning them. Beyond that, agreement starts to become much more difficult. Even on some of the trade points, which do not require unanimity, it may not be possible to even get the required qualified majority to bring matters forward. Where member states would settle on a view at the moment on this issue is that they want to see the peace process work. Whatever we might say about it, the Board of Peace set up in relation to Gaza was actually set up under a UN Security Council mandate. The Security Council actually started that Board of Peace. People say this, that and the other about the Board of Peace, but it actually has a mandate in relation to Gaza that the Security Council gave it. We are always talking about how important the Security Council mandate is. The fact is that it is, I suppose, the decider and the mandate for international peace and security. We wish the Board of Peace well insofar as trying to work out a long-term future for the people of Palestine. As a Government, we continue to engage with the Palestinian Government as well. Significant support has gone from this Government to the people of Palestine in recent years.

On foreign policy, it is just a fact that we have to be unanimous in our decisions and that has not been possible on most occasions. Certainly, it has not been possible to get the type of position that Ireland would prefer at the European Council or the Foreign Affairs Council. In relation to America, almost all member states want to have a very close relationship with the USA. Everyone sees the benefits, while not agreeing all the time with the policies emanating from Washington and not always reacting to every single utterance from Washington. I would say almost all member states want to see a strong relationship with the US, and we do too. First, we have a huge population of undocumented Irish in America. They are very important to us and we have to keep an eye on them. We have 40 million people in the US as well who claim to be of Irish descent. We also have a massive trading relationship with the US. It is important in our national interest, therefore, and in the interests of all those groups that we maintain strong relations with the US. Other countries have a strong relationship from a defence perspective, for example, and they see that relationship as important. Overall, I think it is seen as a positive that we have relatively close connections with the US. When we talk to the US, however, on areas that concern the European Union, on trade and other matters, we go there as Team Ireland and Team Europe, and that has certainly been our approach over the last number of years. Even during Brexit, there were discussions with the State Department during the Trump Administration and, particularly, the Biden Administration, and people were of assistance to us during that process.

Yes. It would have been absolutely vital. We are now in a very different situation concerning what is happening regarding Iran and beyond. We all hope that we will see some element of proper negotiations, but we have mass destabilisation. Even from a selfish European point of view, it is impacting every economy. We are talking about something that could actually have detrimental impacts in relation to the world economy, without getting into what is happening to the people in Iran, Lebanon or anywhere else. It is about how the European Union sees that it can make moves in relation to dealing with the situation we find ourselves in.

Like everybody else, obviously, we are seeing the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East. There is officially a ceasefire at the moment and we want to make sure that is built on. It is very tricky. We are calling on all parties to observe and support the ceasefire. I thank Pakistan for its mediation efforts. At the end of the day, people complain about diplomacy, but diplomacy is very important, and diplomacy and talking work. It is important that there are countries like Pakistan that can get involved, even though these are difficult talks. We have always called for dialogue and diplomacy. The Deputy will have heard the Taoiseach speak in that vein in the Oval Office. All parties have to uphold international law, including, obviously, the protection of civilians. There is a direct link between the price of fuel at the pumps in the Circle K, the Applegreen or the local petrol station in Ireland and the situation in the Middle East. This has had a huge impact on us. We are dealing with it as best we can.

I must also mention Lebanon. The situation there is very dangerous. It is deeply regrettable that Israel has not extended the ceasefire to Lebanon, but we do welcome the announcement of talks between Israel and Lebanon that has happened with the US. We have always condemned Hezbollah for what it has done, including, let us be honest, killing and murdering UNIFIL soldiers. Hezbollah is a disgraceful organisation. Israel should halt its military operations, allow the Lebanese Armed Forces, LAF, to assert their role in providing security for Lebanon and support the State of Lebanon generally, because it is a very fragile country. A lot of good people are leading that country. We have good engagement with them and a very close connection with the country due to all the work our soldiers have done in UNIFIL. There has been really good political engagement over the years with the Lebanese as well, so we need to keep supporting that country.

I thank the Minister of State for being with us today. I have a few questions I want to go through. On security for the hosting of the Presidency, and I appreciate the Minister of State will not be able to talk in specific detail, but in general, and more particularly in light of recent events, does he feel that, from a security point of view, we are fully ready and competent to host that Presidency?

Turning to the continuation and progress of the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could speak a bit further about how far he believes that will progress during our Presidency. I ask this because I understand that recent votes have potentially elongated the process. What kind of progress does the Minister of State think we can make from July to December in progressing the MFF?

We have seen a substantial decrease in the CAP budget under the MFF. How do we fight to retain and increase the CAP budget from an Irish point of view during the Council Presidency? More importantly, something we need to discuss and keep on the agenda is whether we are going to advocate for countries to increase the budget they are putting in. That is the only way that you increase the budget you are putting out. It is a topic that has to be discussed, and I am not aware of the position on it, or if there is a position.

I turn to public engagement. I appreciate there is a lot on the programme during the Presidency with regard to youth engagement, but this is about public engagement generally. We have one of the highest rates of satisfaction with EU membership across the EU. However, we cannot be complacent and take that for granted. When we are hosting the Presidency, which is something that will cost a lot, we need to reinforce to the people of this country the value of our EU membership to ensure they are engaged with the Presidency and the importance of hosting the Presidency. Will the Minister of State speak more about public engagement during the Presidency?

From a security point of view, An Garda is in charge of security. I am confident it will do a good job. It has been doing a lot of planning for this, and that planning continues. It has been engaging with its counterparts in other member states where successful Presidencies have happened, notwithstanding certain security issues. Denmark's airport was closed during its leaders' informal meeting because of drones. Lithuania comes after us. Its airport is regularly closed or has been regularly closed because of balloon incursions from Belarus. These are simple things that cause chaos. An Garda has been examining that. I am confident it will do a good job. I am sure at some point it will talk to the committee. I do not know whether it will say much because it does not say too much about security, and we do not comment on specifics. However, it is a big job for An Garda Síochána and I am confident it will do it well.

The multi-annual financial framework is probably better described as the long-term budget of the EU. Our original planning would have foreseen we would have agreement by the end of our Presidency. How it works is that it is at the General Affairs Council where I sit, but also at ECOFIN where the finance Minister sits. The individual files like the CAP would be discussed among agriculture ministers, etc. Overall, it is at my Council because it goes to the leaders. It is fair to say that we would expect this to go to the leaders before a meeting in November and maybe for a meeting in December and that it would conclude then. It is not entirely in our hands, but my officials and I will work really hard to get as much agreement as possible to get that done as quickly as possible. There are political headwinds ahead next year. There are a number of significant elections around Europe. It would be better to have this bedded down to give confidence to the Union. We are on the cusp of an important time for the European Union, particularly with the Hungarian election maybe opening up the Ukrainian negotiations. Officially getting this budget through would be the icing on the cake this year. It would be a significant moment.

The Common Agricultural Policy is there. It is not where we want it. From an Irish Government point of view, it has to be robust. It has to be protected and it has to be maintained. That is our position. A strong Common Agricultural Policy is essential. It is important for us and for other member states. The Senator raised the issue of increasing the budget. If we are going to increase the Common Agricultural Policy, the question is where the money will come from. That is the difficult question, and we may not get clarity on all of those questions until the leaders meet and discuss and barter, as happens in the final stages of the negotiations. While Ireland is pragmatic when it comes to these things, we will also see a big increase in our budget contribution over the period of the MFF. We are certainly not going to go there with unlimited funds for the EU, but we fundamentally realise the huge benefits that EU membership gives us, particularly as our access to the Single Market is now essentially the driver of our export economy. It is helping to produce significant results for the Irish fiscal position. It is an easy enough calculation to make.

Public engagement has been important to me. I have spent quite some time going round the country and talking to schools, community groups and business groups. It has been my office's practice to let people know when I will be in particular counties. In fact, for the benefit of Deputy O'Donoghue, I will be in Balbriggan next week. We invite all of the TDs, not just Government TDs. We send it out to everybody. I will go into schools in Balbriggan. I think we have arranged one of them and are looking to arrange a second one to talk to the kids. Sometimes, when time allows, we meet community or business groups. We also fund European Movement Ireland. It does a lot of engagement work as well. We would encourage all of the committee members. We heard Senator O'Loughlin talking about her engagement with the Austrian ambassador to organise events in Kildare. Local authorities need to be activated to do all that. We have rejigged a fund called the communicating Europe initiative, which is where we give funding out to community groups and local authorities to host events that communicate Europe. I think we have over 100 applicants at the moment. We plugged that quite well a few weeks ago and we have 100 applicants for that. They are events that will engage the public in relation to the European Union. Whatever we can do, I am happy to go anywhere that anyone asks me to speak, or to meet anybody to speak-----

Right now, I think the Minister of State will have to go to the Dáil Chamber because they just called another vote.

When will the Minister of State be in Balbriggan?

It is Monday in Balbriggan, and definitely in the Gaelcholáiste.

Is it agreed to suspend for 20 minutes? Agreed.

We might draw a line under the questions there, unless there is anything else that the Minister of State wants to add. I want to thank him and his officials for their time.

I want to thank my officials for the incredible work they are all doing in the run up to the Presidency. They are totally unflappable, and they will probably have even more work to do during the Presidency. We hope we get good outcomes for the country and for Europe during the six months that we take charge.

There is quite a lot to live up to as well, and there are high expectations, which we are all aware of. We look forward to them being delivered on and exceeded.

I thank Ms Maguire and Ms Von Heynitz for being here as well. I also thank the Minister of State for his time. We will be speaking to him again in a couple of months' time in any event. We will go into private session now, if that is possible.