Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
132. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government supports the decision by the European Parliament to financially sanction Poland and Hungary in the midst of the 1.5 million refugees Poland has taken in in two weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15158/22]
View answerIt is important to note firstly that it is a matter for the European Commission to decide to financially sanction Member States via the measures provided for in the Regulation on a General Regime of Conditionality for the Protection of the Union Budget. No decision has been taken to financially sanction a Member State pursuant to the Conditionality Regulation.
On 10 March 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution welcoming the recent upholding by the Court of Justice of the European Union of the legality of this budget conditionality regulation. The Parliament’s resolution also called on the European Commission to respond urgently to ongoing and severe violations of the Rule of Law through application of the budget conditionality mechanism.
Ireland also welcomed the Court of Justice decision confirming the legality of the budget conditionality regulation. Our position has consistently been that the mechanism is fair and proportionate. We also welcome the Commission’s recent publication of guidelines clarifying how a prospective application of the mechanism would operate in practice.
Amid this illegal and appalling conflict in Ukraine, it is more important than ever that the EU is united and internally strong. I saw first-hand last week in Poland the enormous consequences that Russia's aggression in Ukraine has had, and will continue to have, for frontline EU Member States such as Poland. Similar is true for Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and others. We stand in solidarity with these countries during this tremendously challenging time and I underlined this message of solidarity during my meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau last Friday.
Notwithstanding this, respect by all EU Member States for the foundational values of the Union, including rule of law, is an integral part of the EU’s strength, including in the face of external threats. Challenges with respect to rule of law standards in Poland and Hungary do continue to present cause for concern. Ireland supports the Commission in exercising its role as guardian of the treaties and ensuring Member States adhere to the EU’s values. We note that the Commission wrote to Poland and Hungary in late 2021 in the context of budget conditionality regulation setting out specific concerns regarding domestic rule of law challenges.
We continue to urge both Member States to engage constructively with the Commission and hope that there will be positive movement to address these concerns and that activation of the regulation will not prove necessary. Should the Commission opt to apply the mechanism however, Ireland will engage fully in any Council discussions.
