Debate contribution: Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Debate contribution by Mr Declan Kearney on 2 March 2026.

MLA: Mr Declan Kearney
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 2 March 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5433112

Text

I agree with the proposer of the motion that Ireland's assuming the presidency of the Council of the European Union will present all sorts of political and diplomatic opportunities for the entire island. It can also provide a platform for continuing to navigate the post-Brexit challenges with which we have had to contend. In a previous Assembly motion, we agreed that a sensible approach to managing those post-Brexit challenges would be to establish a European Commission office in Belfast. In the Chamber, we have also agreed to the logic of our having observer status at the European Parliament. That would be another valuable opportunity and means by which to seek to positively influence European policy.
For instance, EU Peace funding has been vital to the development of the peace process in the North. It has been an essential resource for the community and voluntary groups that deliver essential services, especially in the most hard-to-reach and disadvantaged areas of our community, and that entire funding must be secured for the future. The Irish presidency of the Council should be used to advocate for keeping that funding included in the European Commission's final budget post 2028. In 2017, as my colleague said, the European Commission stated that, in the event of Irish reunification, the entire territory of Ireland would be reintegrated within the European Union. The Irish presidency of the European Council will present an opportune moment to promote the discussion around Irish unity within the European Union. The reunification of our country is a reasonable, legitimate and achievable objective, so the Irish Government should proactively embrace their responsibility to advance that aspiration by commencing the process of planning and preparation, and the EU, as it did at the outset of our peace process, will have an important role to play in managing that transition.
The right to self-determination is central to the UN charter, and it is integral to the Good Friday Agreement.
Thank you. Thanks for the intervention, but you have completely missed my point. The presidency presents an opportunity to advance, deepen and widen the discussion within the European Union and in the Parliament itself. My point about self-determination is that its denial is at the crux of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the occupation of Palestine. The right to self-determination and sovereignty is the most defining struggle of our modern era, and Sinn Féin stands in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We remain unambiguously opposed to Russian imperialism, which continues to wage a brutal war and continues to occupy the Ukrainian people's country. The war in Ukraine must be ended through diplomacy, negotiation and political settlement, and that will not be achieved through further European militarisation and increased military spending. Ireland's presidency of the European Council should be used to positively advance our tradition of neutrality and non-alignment, and it must be used to advance the position that diplomacy and multilateralism must always take precedence over the drive to war and militarisation. Global adherence to the UN charter is paramount. International law must have primacy, and failure to observe international norms and negotiate the terms of peaceful coexistence has led to the attacks against Iran and has precipitated the latest war in the Middle East. The United States, by its acts of aggression this weekend, has betrayed and undermined a live political negotiation in which it was directly involved, and that is the second time that it has done so in the space of nine months. There is now an urgent need for a reset in global relations, and multilateralism must underpin that process. The European Union has an essential role to play in restoring peace and security in Ukraine and the Middle East, but that must be done in the context of international law and not increased militarisation and militarism. Ireland's presidency should advance the important agenda of promoting diplomacy, peaceful coexistence and political agreement for Ukraine and all other places where war and imperialism threaten security and stability. It should be a champion of the universal right to national self-determination for all peoples. It should be a voice for reason and progress against the threats and volatility of the dangerous world order that is being imposed on us.

705 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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