Micheál Martin: Ireland's EU Presidency - Unity, Security, Growth

Parliamentarians, Honourable Members and Members of Parliament. I am pleased to be back in Strasbourg, in the heart of Europe, and to speak to this Parliament, which is home to more than 450 million people from two different countries. We are looking forward to working closely with the members of this Parliament as soon as possible. And we hope that we will soon be able to work together in the future in working together. It is important for the Parliament to be a place of hope, with it being the centre of cultural, linguistic and social development. And we look forward to working together in the future. I am here on behalf of the eight members of the Irish Parliament, to say that we are proud of our role and of the commitment to which we are committed. And the Irish Parliament is pleased to be working with this Parliament together, as soon as possible, and with as many people as possible, to make the work of the people possible. I am here to encourage each other. We can do this together. And it will be an honour for the whole of Ireland to welcome the Irish people to be at the forefront of the work of the people in the future. President Metzola, it's an honour to present the policy programme of the Irish Presidency of the Council to the Parliament today. And we have a saying in the Irish language, Túsma le na hIbre. A good start is half the work. We have prepared extensively for taking on our responsibilities. Irish ministers and officials have had countless discussions with counterparts across capitals, in Brussels and with this Parliament here in Strasbourg. We have sought to listen and to understand. We are ready to get things done. Our starting position is rooted in the excellent work of the Cyprus Presidency, who have guided the agenda of the Council very effectively through the first half of this year. And I am determined that we will pass the torch forward in similarly good shape to our friends in Lithuania at the start of 2027. With Greece, we are both part of a proud trio of presidencies that stretches from our rugged Atlantic shores to the Baltic Sea and on to the Mediterranean. Nations each located at the edges of Europe, yet determined to be at its heart. On each occasion Ireland has held the Presidency, we have worked tirelessly to make a positive difference to this unique union. While the rotating Presidency was established soon after the Treaty of Rome, the broader and more permanent Council structure was actually established during Ireland's first Presidency in 1975. Time and again we have seen that when we work together, Europe can achieve incredible things. And when Ireland joined the European Economic Community, the debate was centred on whether we were just too poor to participate, with opponents claiming that our economy and culture would rapidly collapse and disappear. The Irish people decided to put their faith in a shared European history. They embraced the idea that in the modern world we can only secure our sovereignty as states by working with others in strong rules-bound and permanent cooperation. And we rejected the negative and destructive visions of a Europe of permanent national jealousies and competition, of permanent insecurities and falling international influence. And since then we have experienced an economic transformation and growing cultural confidence. And our membership has been an irreplaceable foundation for securing our success and sovereignty. We have also achieved historic progress in overcoming a history of sectarian conflict, an achievement directly enabled by decades of working together in Europe and seeing the values which we share. In particular, Madam President, I would like once again to thank you and the Parliament for the solidarity shown to Ireland when the UK decided to leave the European Union. And thankfully we avoided many of the worst impacts seen by the UK itself, which the British people themselves increasingly recognise. And in passing, I wish to pay tribute to the patience, perseverance and no little skill of Commissioner Sefkovic who represented the EU most ably in those negotiations. And moves over recent years to rebuild a constructive relationship with the UK have made great progress and are a tribute to all involved. Madam President, working together, we have overcome many challenges, including in recent years. We have stood resolutely in the face of Russia's illegal invasion and unrelenting assault on Ukraine. Our Union has acted decisively in the face of the largest global pandemic in a century, saving countless lives. And I commend you, President Metzola and your colleagues here in the Parliament for your unwavering support for its people, for your consistent, resolute and vital voice in saying that Ukraine is defending basic democratic values and we have a moral and political duty to support its cause. And for our Presidency, we turn to the old Irish proverb, Ní n-nárt go chur le chéile, strength with unity. And yes, the EU faces challenges, but we are strong in meeting them together. Our priorities have very clearly been laid out. We have highlighted three areas in particular, the competitiveness of Europe's economy, the need to protect the fundamental values on which our European Union is built at home and abroad, and the security of our citizens. Economic prosperity is what enables us to achieve our policy ambitions. With a strong economy, we will not have security. And without upholding our values, we will not have a union in which our people can flourish and which we are proud to call home. We share the assessment that Europe originally needs to improve its competitiveness and productivity. All assessments, including the landmark reports from Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, show that Europe risks falling behind if we don't act now. We need to be economically competitive in order to sustain the European way of life. If we are competitive, we can have the prosperity we need to protect the vulnerable in our society. It allows us to provide a robust social safety net. It allows us to live in dignity, with decent housing, with meaningful and productive jobs. It helps us educate our children and give skills to our workers. It provides excellence in health care, allowing Europeans to live longer, healthier lives. Most fundamentally, it allows us to make the investments to keep our people safe in an increasingly dangerous world. And it supports us in making sustainable choices that can ensure a livable planet for those who come after us. The unprecedented heat of recent weeks has shown us how urgent that task is. And the wildfires across Europe in the last week bring a frightening home to all of us. In April, the three EU institutions agreed on the one Europe, one market roadmap. And that sets the course of our work. The single market is the very foundation of Europe's economy and prosperity. And we will work to further eliminate barriers, tackle unnecessary regulatory burdens, and boost internal market trade. We will drive the digital and climate transition and ensure a level playing field for businesses and communities across the EU. We will make it easier for businesses to start up and scale seamlessly across the Union, including through progressing the EU Inc proposal. I'm convinced it is time to take a decisive step forward on the Savings and Investments Union. Progress has been far too slow. The Savings and Investment Union can unleash the potential for Europe's high savings to be used for the benefit of businesses, communities, and families in every part of Europe. Trade is also fundamental to our shared future and prosperity for our citizens. The challenges facing international trade today are formidable and possibly greater than at any time in the last half century. This requires us to be more driven and adaptive than ever before. Our Presidency will pursue a trade policy agenda with ambition, one that strengthens our trade relationships with reliable global partners. We will seek to build an EU-US trade and investment relationship that benefits both. We will work for a close and constructive partnership with the United Kingdom, a trusted ally and friend, with a strong voice on the international stage. We will work to strengthen our trade relationships and diversify our markets further afield, deepening trade with important partners such as India, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. High energy prices and global volatility are being felt by families and businesses in every part of our Union and throughout the world. We will prioritise work to enhance Europe's security of supply and the development of sustainable, affordable, and secure energy systems. And to this end, we will work constructively with the Parliament to conclude the European Grids package. We will support discussions on the benefits and challenges of AI so that we have a model that is based on European values. And to further this, we are convening governments and global stakeholders at an international AI summit to focus on how we can best harness AI in support of Europe's competitiveness. Our shared values, as detailed in the treaties we all agreed, and based on the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are the foundation of our Union. They are essential to what makes Europe among the best places on earth to be. Europe believes in respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. We must defend and vindicate those values, both within Europe and globally, and this Parliament has a vital role to play. During Ireland's presidency in 2024, we had the honour of hosting the Day of Welcomes, celebrating the largest ever Ag Session in the Union's history. And as long as there are Europeans who seek a secure, democratic, and prosperous future, as long as there are millions who see our flag of blue and gold as a hope for freedom, we must continue to welcome new members. Enlargement is a win-win. It brings more Europeans under our umbrella of prosperity and security, and it makes us stronger and richer for the contribution and energy of new members. And during our presidency, we will work to bring all those looking to join the Union closer to that goal. We will aim to complete Ag Session negotiations with Montenegro, to make substantial historic progress with Moldova and Ukraine. We will advance the countries of the Western Balkans as far as they are ready to go, consistent with our balanced, merit-based approach. At a time when our democratic values are being systematically questioned, we will promote the rule of law across Member States and candidate countries alike. We will continue to support European Union efforts towards stability in Lebanon, Syria, and the wider Gulf region, and to urgently work towards ending a devastating and horrific war in Sudan. Our presidency will also promote active diplomatic engagement to support lasting peace and security in the Middle East, reaffirming the European Union's longstanding commitment to a two-state solution. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The situation in the West Bank is deteriorating. The behaviour of the Netanyahu government is increasingly extreme. There are no democratic or humanitarian values which are flexible enough to justify the scale of death, destruction, and displacement we have seen. It is a cause of deep and justified sadness and anger to many that Europe has not done enough to put pressure on Israel in the light of its egregious actions. I fully respect and understand that this is a difficult topic for many countries, and is challenging many long-established connections and policies. But we must simply do more. The need for measures to enhance European security and to build our resilience has never been more evident. We will continue to offer unwavering support to Ukraine, whose people have shown such courage and determination in defending their country. They deserve a just and lasting peace. Political, financial, military and humanitarian support for Ukraine must be coupled with ever-increasing pressure on Russia so that its cruel and morally indefensible war can no longer be sustained. We will work to agree tighter and stronger sanctions. And Europe must also invest in all dimensions of its own security and rapidly develop its defence capabilities. We will actively take forward work on the proposed new European security strategy to ensure the Union can respond dynamically to today's geostrategic challenges. And to achieve all of these goals, of course, we need a budget that can match our ambitions. One of our Union's greatest weaknesses is that we place such high demands on it but are unwilling to fund it appropriately. We have too often allowed ourselves to fall into a zero-sum approach which seeks to take funding from successful programmes in order to provide for urgent ones. In looking forward to the next budget, there are constraints which are unlikely to disappear but we certainly have the obligation to show both ambition and urgency. We believe that agreement in the Council can be achieved by the end of this year. There are very different views around the table about how we raise our money and how we spend it. But we will work as an honest broker to try to narrow gaps and to bring people together. And building on the excellent work of the Cyprus Presidency, we will set out our thinking in a new negotiating box in the autumn. President Metzola, to support our policy agenda, we will host an extensive programme of Presidency meetings, more than 270 events in locations across Ireland. We do so conscious of how important it is to engage our citizens in our conversations around the European Union. Telling the story of the European Union and why it remains so vitally important to peace, prosperity and security across our continent is something we attach great importance to. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from EU institutions and from across Europe to counties across Ireland. And this includes the meeting of the European Political Community and the informal meeting of the European Council in November in Dublin. At a moment where so many are promoting division and a return to a failed model of competition between nations, we will clearly and without any reservation speak for the vital necessity of the democratic and humanitarian ideals of Europe. For me, a visit to this chamber always brings to mind one of the most distinguished former MEPs and unquestionably one of the greatest figures in modern Irish history, John Hume. He remains the only MEP to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while serving in this Parliament. While he represented Northern Ireland, he spoke for the vast majority on our island who wanted a future free of the sectarian violence inflicted on our society by an unaccountable few. He was not just our visionary of peace, he was a passionate advocate for peace and prosperity through a shared European future. And just as the great generation which secured our independence brought us to membership of the European Union, John Hume directed us to its values and the opportunities for reconciliation and breaking the historic cycle of distrust and conflict. So for 25 years, he led the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland. He came here as an MEP to work with others to define and build a new future for his community, our island and the people of Europe. Just outside this hemicycle, there is a bust of John as a fitting memorial to how important the Parliament's work can be. In his Nobel lecture, John spoke about how inspired he was by this place and the European Union. He spoke of his first visit to Strasbourg and standing with a sense of wonder in the middle of the bridge from Strasbourg to Kel. He was moved by the almost inconceivable success of leaving behind a tradition of savage conflict between nations and replacing it with a new era of cooperation. To honour his legacy, later this year we will be establishing and funding a new annual prize in his name. And this will be awarded to a European who has contributed to the values which John advocated for and to the further development of our Union. John had a vision to see the narrative of Ireland's path to peace and prosperity in the wider narrative of Europe. As he saw it, the road to lasting progress is built in shedding our sweat together rather than our blood. It is a vision that is as relevant today as when he graced this parliamentary chamber. Thank you again, President Metzola, for your welcome here today and for your tolerance. On behalf of the Irish Presidency, I look forward to working with you and the Parliament across the next six months. And we will approach this with a spirit of cooperation and ambition to ensure that our shared Union delivers for the people that we all serve. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. Thank you very much. Thank you.