Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:1. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to report on the implementation of Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030. [69242/26]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Diaspora Issues
I ask the Minister about the implementation of Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030. What actions have come out of it and previous strategies to make life better for the diaspora, especially in relation to reciprocal driving licences?
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Government launched its new diaspora strategy at the global Irish civic forum on 30 April. It was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond. He has led the largest ever consultation with the Irish abroad, with over 27 in-person meetings around the world. This included Oireachtas Members. We also hosted the first ever online consultation, the global Irish survey, which received some 10,000 responses.
Since then, the Minister of State has promoted the strategy in Britain, the US and Canada. When any of us travel abroad, we are promoting the strategy and indeed our diaspora. November will see the Asian launch in Hong Kong during the Asian Gaelic Games. The response to the strategy has been overwhelmingly positive, with the communities recognising that the 23 commitments the strategy is built around highlight the challenges but also the opportunities they have highlighted through their engagement prior to its launch. The strategy reflects our commitment to a new and unprecedented relationship with the Irish abroad. No matter where you go, depending on who you speak to, people would say there are anywhere between 30 million and 70 million Irish diaspora. We have a huge number of people to engage with. We will shortly publish an action plan setting out how we will deliver on the commitments up to 2030. The work is already under way.
In advance of the opening of the 2027 immigrant support programme, which will be in December, engagement with key stakeholders and service providers is ongoing to ensure the emigrant support programme remains to existing and emerging needs for the most vulnerable. We are working to support capacity development in some of the organisations. This specific request was made during the consultations, recognising the role of the GAA and how important it is for our overseas communities. Discussions are under way with the GAA on refreshing the global games development fund. I was in New York last week, where I engaged with many of our diaspora and saw the appetite among them for supporting our trade and economic priorities. It is welcome to see a set-up for engagement from diaspora business sectors more broadly. I will touch on more points later.
I thank the Minister. What actions came out of the previous strategies? There is a commitment to conclude the reciprocal driving licence exchange with the US states. I commend Safe Home Ireland and the Irish-US driver's licence exchange campaign on their work in this area. It is important that such arrangements are based on equivalent standards. The Minister will appreciate that aspects of our often nonsensical bureaucracy are a point of frustration for many members of the diaspora, for example those who drove for years in Ireland, have now driven for years in the United States and are expected to jump through all sorts of hoops when they return to Ireland. Will the Minister inform the House of formal arrangements that have begun with any US state beyond New York? When does she expect the first agreements to conclude?
I spoke to some of our diaspora directly when I was in New York. I see the frustration. This is something we all want to get over the line. We have committed to it previously and are working on it. We have driving licence exchange agreements with 21 jurisdictions, from Australia to Canada and everywhere in between. We are now working on concluding agreements with the US. One of the challenges is that every exchange has to be concluded at a state level, meaning we cannot do just one agreement and it has to be on an individual basis. While there has been widespread political agreement on both sides, it has taken longer than anybody would have liked.
There are three areas in particular where engagement is taking place, namely, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. I am assured by my colleagues based in the US that they are in consistent and regular engagement on this. Whatever needs to be done on this side, there is a commitment from our Minister and our Government to move it as quickly as possible. However, I do appreciate there is frustration. When we want people to come home, we want to make sure it is as easy as possible for them, but this work is under way and we hope to have it over the line for many of these states as soon as possible.
Earlier this year such an agreement did conclude, but it related to the commercial sector rather than the diaspora. I assume that if we can do it for the commercial sector, we should be able to do it for the diaspora too. I ask the Minister to push forward with this and try to get a means to an end with this. So many peoplewhot live in America really need to get their licences. I have people who have moved home from the States coming to my office all the time. They previously had a licence and just want to get it back, and they are being put through hoops. I cannot understand why it is not an easier process and why it cannot happen faster.
Technical engagements have to happen with the Road Safety Authority. Again, we want to get this done as quickly as possible. The RSA is engaging with its counterparts in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and our teams. I have asked our teams after last week's engagement to make sure we can move this along as quickly as possible.
There is so much more happening with the diaspora strategy. It is about making sure we revitalise the global Irish hub and respond to community needs, promote well-being and look at advocacy on behalf of our diaspora, as well as the excellent consular assistance our teams provide. It is about preserving the Irish language and the history of our diaspora. It is about the role of sport. This year I launched our new sports diaspora strategy in Boston and here, and we want to make sure we are using sport in the most positive way possible. We see that happening in Ireland with the US, the games that have taken place and the connections that can create. We also want to show collaboration between the different organisations. When I was in New York last week, I launched the green book, a directory of our diaspora organisations in New York all in the one place and directory for people to be able to access them.
A huge amount of work is happening, but I appreciate that in the case of practical matters like this we want to get them over the line. We are pushing to make that happen because when people come home, they want to be able to move on as quickly as possible.
Bogfaidh muid ar aghaidh chuig an gcéad cheist eile in ainm an Teachta Richard Boyd Barrett.
Irish Prisoners Abroad
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:2. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to reports from a recent cross-party delegation of seven Oireachtas Members to the trial of an Irish citizen in Germany, where delegates observed serious procedural issues, and further to her personal assurances that she would be monitoring, keeping a very close eye and providing direct and fair oversight and full sight of the trial, the exact way in which she can provide this without consular observers attending the trial, given the absence of a neutral court transcript, and given that trial observation does not constitute an intervention under the Vienna Convention. [69687/26]
Daniel Tatlow-Devally has been locked up for 23 hours a day in a German prison for 13 months, having taken part in a protest, in which no human being was hurt, against an arms manufacturer providing weapons to Israel to commit its crimes. His family, myself and a cross-party delegation who went over in July to witness the trial believe he is not getting a fair trial and we have repeatedly asked the Minister to send observers to that trial. Despite conveying the impression she is doing that, in actuality she has not done it. Will she send observers to the trial to give some sort of oversight to ensure this show trial is at least observed?
I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising this matter. I know he travelled recently with a number of colleagues from my own party and others to Germany specifically to engage with Daniel and his family. I am aware my officials have facilitated that and provided support and we will continue to provide that support to the Deputy and, most important, to his family.
I am following developments very closely and will continue to do so because at the heart of this an Irish citizen is going through a very difficult time, as are his family. Our focus as a Department has to be the welfare of our Irish citizens, whether they are in prison or on trial. Whatever the circumstances, it is about making sure we have compassionate, non-judgmental consular assistance to ensure the well-being of our Irish citizens. That has been my focus and my priority and, indeed, that of our team.
We have a consulate general in Munich, supported by our embassy in Berlin. Our consular assistance unit in Dublin has been providing assistance since September 2025. We have a dedicated consular officer in Munich assigned to the case. Consulate staff, including the consul general, have visited Daniel in prison on seven occasions, most recently on 1 September. Generally when someone is in this situation, there are about two visits a year. There have been seven visits over the last year because of the issues that have been raised and because I am very keen that we engage directly with Daniel and his family. A further visit is scheduled for this week, which reflects a higher level of engagement than we would generally have. These visits allow us to assess the conditions of detention and Daniel's welfare. They are also an opportunity for him to raise with us any concerns about his treatment. We have been very clear in asking him to raise any issues where they emerge.
Germany shares our foundational commitment to the rule of law as a member state of the European Union. While we recognise that laws and practices can differ greatly across the world, we do expect that for a member of the European Union with which we have shared values and commitments, those practices will be upheld. Naturally, though, there are aspects of the legal process in Germany that may operate differently from a legal process here in Ireland. Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned the formal transcription of court hearings being a common practice in Ireland. It is, absolutely. My understanding, and what has been relayed to me, is that it is not uncommon for a presiding judge in that jurisdiction to dictate a formal summary of the proceedings into the official record. I have other examples of cases that have been brought to me where the jurisdiction has done things differently, but it is not specific to the Irish individual. I have to stress that we are monitoring and keeping a very close eye on this.
In recent correspondence about this case, the Minister wrote that her Department was satisfied that Daniel was being treated equally before the law compared with any German citizen in his situation. I went to the court in Stammheim. It is reserved for terrorists and organised criminals. Daniel is neither and nobody is suggesting he is, so why is he in that court? No other German citizen in that situation would be in that court for what he is accused of. In the court next door, there were people from a far-right group who had been engaged in an armed coup against the German state and who had discharged weapons, and some of them were out on bail. Daniel has been refused bail. These are people who threatened the German state being treated better than Daniel is. The Minister, in response to us, has said that she is monitoring the case and keeping a close eye on it, and will have direct and fair oversight and full sight of the trial. The Taoiseach even said we had sent observers on Tuesday. The Minister has not sent anybody to the trial. We were there as a cross-party group including, as she said, members of her own party. It is a show trial. It is not a fair trial. Daniel's legal team say they have never seen anything like it. Will the Minister send observers?
Based on what Deputy Boyd Barrett has just said about the comparison, I am happy to engage further with Daniel's family to see what more we can do. Germany is a country of the EU and we expect the rules to apply, and their court systems and structures to uphold the values we share. I am conscious of what the Deputy has said and what has been relayed to me by colleagues as well. We are keeping oversight of what is happening. We are engaging extensively with Daniel. We are speaking directly to him and his family because, first and foremost, our role is to make sure the welfare of Irish citizens is protected. I appreciate he is in prison, so it is difficult to square those two aspects. At the same time, we have an obligation to make sure Irish citizens are treated fairly. I will follow up with the Deputy on this and see if there is something further we can do. I do stress that among the many different teams engaged on this within Germany, our consular teams are engaging and have full oversight of what is happening in the court. I will follow up directly with Deputies Boyd Barrett and Barry Ward after this to see if there is more we can do.
For a start, the Minister should just send observers. Frankly, I would like her to go further. The defendants are kept in glass cages. When we were there, security people were blocking us from just seeing through the glass. They cannot communicate properly with their legal team during the trial. They have to depend on interpretation, which means they cannot hear the actual proceedings. They are being treated as if they are terrorists when they are clearly not. The Oireachtas Members and MEPs had pens and paper physically taken off us, so we could not take notes in the court.
It is unbelievable. Not a single motion put forward by the defence is given by the judge. She just ignores everything the defence says. It is a complete show trial. Something needs to be done. What is being done to them is politically motivated. I am asking the Minister to stop conveying the impression that we are observing when we are not and to send observers to watch the trial. The Minister is signed up to European guidelines on human rights defenders, as is Germany, which recommends sending trial observers, yet we will not do it. I do not understand why we are not doing it. I fear it is something to do with not wanting to embarrass the German Government and that has to stop.
I completely refute that. I have raised this directly with my German colleague. I have no issue in raising this case or highlighting where there are issues of concern. I have consistently stated that the role of our consulate and our teams, first and foremost, is to protect and support our Irish citizens. It is not to provide legal advice, nor to contradict or take on the role of the legal advisers. Daniel and his family have a legal team that is supporting them. I have said clearly today that I am happy to engage further based on what the Deputy has just outlined. Another case has been highlighted to me of an Irish citizen who is abroad, where the criminal justice system is different and where the rules being applied are similar to rules applied to other citizens, not just our own. We have to take that into consideration. The Deputy has just outlined another case that I was not aware of, which sounds completely different and contradictory. I am happy to engage further with the Deputy on this and see if there is more we can do.
Middle East
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:3. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her position regarding the continued illegal settlement construction by Israel on Palestinian territory; and the dialogue she has with EU counterparts regarding same. [69241/26]
I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her position regarding the continued illegal settlement construction by Israel on Palestinian territory; and the dialogue she has with EU counterparts regarding same.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Irrespective of what we might disagree on, this is an issue that we all actually agree on. We all fully agree that the only viable solution for both Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side and to have peace and security, is the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states.
It has been clear for some time now that the unilateral actions by the Israeli Government are aimed not just at undermining the two-state solution but at making it absolutely impossible to ever have a two-state solution. These actions have been escalating in a very established pattern. In particular, the E1 settlement project that was agreed and moved forward by the Israeli Government very clearly attempts to cut the West Bank in half, preventing a contiguous Palestinian State and ultimately the two-state solution. I have urged the Israeli Government to immediately rescind this tender and reiterated our calls for an end to illegal settlement activity.
However, we all know that Ireland alone calling for this is not going to change the actions of the Israeli Government. At every European meeting I have attended, which we are now hosting, and have hosted here in Ireland, but also at the UN last week, I have consistently raised the need for Ireland, the EU and the international community to do more. I can see a shift and a change. I am not saying that has brought about the changes that we want yet. When I attended the UN last week, the very first meeting I went to on the Sunday evening was a focus on the two-state solution. I attended with colleagues from Europe, but also from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and from the European Council, including our high representative. The very clear view was that if we do not act in a much stronger way, we will be back again next year at the UN talking about how things have gotten worse, not in any way better, which is not an acceptable position for anybody. The humanitarian situation on the ground is appalling. The situation continues to deteriorate. I will continue to advocate for every possible action to be taken at an EU level, but I believe this needs to be on an international scale as well.
The vicious, criminal, heinous crimes of Israeli settlers in recent days is no new departure. The Nakba is now a near eight-decade-long catastrophe of Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian homes and land with impunity. I welcome that the Government has prohibited the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. I am glad to see that the Minister is advocating and calling this out. It is shameful and a stain upon Ireland that the Government has sought to insulate criminal terrorists, Israeli settlers, from the most significant impact of sanctions proposed in the occupied territories Bill, through choosing not to include services.
Recent actions by the Israeli Government increasingly point to the de facto annexation of the entire West Bank, including East Jerusalem. What is the Government doing to bring about the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement?
On that last point, there is a proposal from the Commission to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. That was brought about because of the advocacy of Ireland and a number of countries last year. At that time, proposals were also made to impose sanctions on violent settlers and those responsible for the October attacks a number of years ago. What is very clear, unfortunately, and I say "unfortunately" because we fully support the suspension of the association agreement, is that there is not support for that. There is not an ability to progress that particular proposal. I have been advocating, as have a number of member states, for further proposals to be put on the table by the Commission, specifically for the illegal settlements. I have sat around a table with every single member state and we all agree they are illegal settlements. What is happening is illegal. What is happening with violent settlers is appalling. If we are to uphold what we all agree, and what is very clearly set out in international law, then we need to move forward specifically, even if it is only just this and not the whole association agreement, to ban trade with the illegal settlements. I will continue to advocate.
Ireland and Spain are the first countries to introduce legislation. Ours came into effect on 15 September. Through our engagement, we are now seeing Canada, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and other countries saying that they are going to do this, which is a shift and a change. I really hope that if we continue to pressure and push this, we will see a greater response from Europe as a whole.
I also hope that there is a shift. When Ireland fails to comply with our obligations under the EU treaties, infringement proceedings are launched against us. What is the appropriate course of action for an EU member state to take when the European Union itself is in breach of its obligations? The Minister's position would suggest that the EU treaties compel Ireland to continue to provide preferential trading arrangements to a state the Government believes to be involved in genocide and the annexation of different territories of its neighbours. Let us say that somehow this situation was unforeseen. Is it now Irish Government policy to refrain from facilitating EU trade deals that could in the future necessitate such a position, however unforeseen?
I am not sure the Irish Government can be any clearer in our position. The Taoiseach and all of us have said we are appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government. We consider this to be an attempt to completely eliminate an entire population and remove them from their land. Trade is an EU competence. We have moved unilaterally, which is not something that the Commission or others want to see happen, but more and more countries are now starting to move unilaterally because the Commission is not moving. As I said last week, we are failing people by not moving. We cannot unilaterally pull back from the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It is an EU-wide agreement. That is why we have advocated for the EU as a whole to focus on this matter.
I do not believe there is a consensus, no matter how much I push this at the moment, to suspend the entire Israel association agreement, or even the trade element of it at this stage. However, we have seen a consistent shift when it comes specifically to the illegal settlements. I refer to Italy and other countries where perhaps there had not been that clarity. Giorgia Meloni in her own statement at the UN last week was clear in saying that she would welcome further proposals specifically related to the illegal settlements in the West Bank. I will continue to advocate and engage with colleagues. I want to stress again, as was highlighted last week, that the immediate need is for more aid to get to people in Gaza and for us to be able to do more in that regard. The situation, particularly coming into the winter, is only going to get worse.
Northern Ireland
Sinéad Gibney
Ceist:4. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement she has had with her British counterpart, the British ambassador, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, over the events of the past few days surrounding the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. [69715/26]
We are all familiar with the scars left on people across this island from the Troubles. We know the hard work done by the people of Garvaghy Road in Portadown to build peace, reconciliation and understanding in their own community. The developments of the last two weeks threaten to derail that peace.
What engagement has the Minister had, alongside her Government colleagues, in the past few days with her British counterparts and counterparts in the North?
I thank the Deputy. As she said, I do not think any of us expected to be here talking about the Garvaghy Road and the potential for a parade or march to be taking place, given the history and the fact that 28 years have passed without this parade. I do not want to get into the decision last week, but the Government's views are well-known in that regard. The focus and priority now have to be on how we move things forward and make sure there is a peaceful solution for the residents, in particular. I can see that for many residents they are quite literally back in 1997, such was the trauma that was inflicted at the time. We need to work together now to see how we find our way out of this.
I have engaged with a range of political parties, my team in the North and residents of the Garvaghy Road. I have engaged extensively with the Secretary of State, Chris Bryant, who has been in Northern Ireland for most of this week. Importantly, there has been significant dialogue and engagement by the Secretary of State with both parties - the residents of the Garvaghy Road and the Orange Order. The most important thing now is to allow time and space for those engagements to continue. While an agreement had not been reached yesterday evening, we saw the pronouncements from both sides. I hope that today those talks will resume and we are able to find a way forward. For all of us, it is about not skipping past what is happening now because we have to resolve this.
We still have to look at the wider picture. We have to look at what we can do. People are talking about having a referendum soon. What this highlights is that so much work still needs to be done in certain areas and communities to try to bring people together, whether through the reconciliation fund, the shared Ireland fund or the Northern Ireland Executive. We need to make sure that come the next election, we have an agreement in place that allows the parties to continue to work together and to look to the future. That has to be our focus and our priority from a Government perspective as well as everything else.
I am engaging continuously. The Taoiseach has engaged with the Prime Minister. Our teams are working to support in any manner we can. Now is a really important moment to allow those engagements to continue.
I thank the Minister for outlining her position. I was on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. I also met the residents last week. I was living and studying in the North during the last eruption of violence on the Garvaghy Road in the late nineties. The residents' message is clear and they are a genuinely dignified and clear group of people. We need to be careful about some of the messaging around the two sides in this debate because for me there is a clear act of provocation happening from one side, unfortunately, and on the other side what we have seen is compromise and work at peace and reconciliation over decades for their community, all of which is being undermined and torn apart right now. I urge the Government to engage with residents of the Garvaghy Road.
I do not know from the comments of the Minister if that has happened yet or if she simply described the engagement she has had with the Secretary of State. I have concerns around the time and space she mentioned in respect of finding a solution. I appreciate that has to be the case but, nonetheless, every day, minute and hour that this stand-off continues erodes peace in Northern Ireland. It erodes trust in the institutions from both communities, but I would particularly focus on those living on the Garvaghy Road right now.
I thank the Deputy and appreciate the comments she has made. It is important, given where we are now and the engagement that has happened and is happening in quite a short space of time, that we allow communities the time and space to try to find a way forward. A legal case is coming up. Given what happened last weekend with the courts, nobody wants another weekend where we have something similar happening. A huge amount of work has been done this week to bring people together and try and find a way forward.
I have been very clear, as have the Taoiseach and others, about our views as to what has happened. That being said, we have to make sure we can find a way forward that does not allow for a return to the past or what we know were very traumatic and horrific events in 1997 and before. That is my focus and priority. Our team has engaged with the residents. Legally, the situation is that the Government has no remit or role in parading. I am very conscious of that. At the same time, I have engaged consistently not just with the Secretary of State but others as well, with a view to bringing forward a resolution.
Beyond the actual issue of the parade, we need to make sure that we are in lockstep in what we are doing next and how we are working together to make sure the communities and residents on the road are supported. Beyond that, we can look at the political side of this with the Executive.
I agree the Government has made its position on the decision of the Parades Commission clear, although that was quite a number of days ago. I am not clear on what is happening from the Government in terms of the diplomatic efforts the Minister referenced. It would be helpful for us to know more about what exactly the Minister is urging people to do. I appreciate the jurisdictional issues, in that the Government does not have jurisdiction, but it has a huge diplomatic role to play in Dublin in respect of what is happening right now.
We know that the Parades Commission decision was wrong. We appreciate that there is complexity around that. More information is needed on that and on what happened with the PSNI's advice, which seems to be a complete misread of the situation. I heard the Taoiseach speak about it this week during Leaders' Question. He suggested that people were demonising the chief constable. That is not the case. We can call out an act that is wrong done by somebody who has also done good work. It is important that the Government asserts that view and makes sure those elements and levers that are available to the Government are being pushed. We cannot go back. This is a lifetime of trauma. There are generations of trauma for this community that needs to be handled delicately before we dial things back, as is the risk.
I agree with the comments of the Taoiseach this week. The PSNI has dealt with a very difficult situation this week and has been doing a very good job. I met the chief constable and others not long ago. We spoke about the challenges that remain in Northern Ireland with the PSNI and different communities, how we can bring people together and how the PSNI can be more representative of both communities. There are many different challenges. This week Jon Boutcher and the community in the PSNI have done a very good job in what has been a very difficult circumstance.
I am in constant engagement with the Secretary of State and parties in the North. I travelled to the North. I am also conscious of the role that we as a Government have specifically in regard to parades, and the wider commitment and role we play in peace, security and power-sharing in Northern Ireland. We are working with all sides to try to make sure this issue can be resolved. Beyond that, we need to determine how we support the communities because support will be needed irrespective of what the agreement is or what process is put in place to move forward. I am already engaging with my colleagues and my colleagues in the North on that.
International Relations
Barry Heneghan
Ceist:5. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken by her Department to recognise and further strengthen Ireland’s historic, cultural and diplomatic relationship with France, as Ireland’s closest European Union neighbour; and whether consideration is being given to initiatives to mark the historic links and friendship between the two countries. [69692/26]
Ireland and France are neighbours, not simply through geography but also centuries of shared history. I have raised this matter in parliamentary questions previously. On 31 August, I had the honour of attending the ceremony beneath the Arc de Triomphe, attended by Deputy Ward last year. A wreath was laid to honour the Irish who fought with French armies. La France se souvient de l’Irlande et l’Irlande doit aussi se souvenir de la France. France remembers Ireland and Ireland should also remember France. During our EU Presidency, what can we do to give permanent expression in Ireland to that extraordinary friendship?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I fully agree with him. The relationship and partnership Ireland and France has is shaped by a number of things, including our proximity. With the UK having left the EU, it is our closest EU neighbour. We have deep historical connections and increasingly integrated economic ties. We also have many shared values. For that reason, earlier this year I launched the new France-Ireland joint strategic framework for 2026 to 2030, with my French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot. The framework builds on and focuses on the achievements of the first joint action plan from 2021 to 2025, which saw a period of significant expansion in our economic and trading relationship and business links as France unintentionally became our nearest EU neighbour.
The new joint strategic framework focuses on a number of things, including co-operation in three broad areas. This is underpinned by an action plan to make sure that we are not just talking about how we can strengthen our relationship, but how we can put that into action and set ourselves targets to move forward. The first is how we work together as partners for a more competitive Europe.
During our Presidency, one of our three priorities is competitiveness. How do we ensure that Europe is competitive? How do we ensure that Ireland, as well as member states and our partners, remain open and competitive? This includes investment in our resources in France. I am pleased to say that, currently, our three new defence attachés to London, Paris and Washington are going through their training. I hope our French attaché will be able to take up that position in the coming weeks. We also have a talent and innovation attaché to our embassy in Paris. Recently, a consulate general was opened in Lyon. In November, the annual France-Ireland Economic Forum will bring together policymakers, industry and business representatives to focus on enhancing our trade and business ties.
Second, we are working bilaterally and in European and multilateral forums, such as the International Organisation of the Francophonie, to promote a fair, safe and sustainable global environment.
I have spoken to the Minister about this before but one person who brings much of the shared history together is General Charles de Gaulle. His ancestry comes through the McCartan family from County Down. His ancestors served in the Berwick's Regiment as part of the great Wild Geese tradition. Ireland fascinated the de Gaulle family intellectually. His grandmother, Josephine Marie Anne Maillot, wrote a biography of Daniel O'Connell, which de Gaulle read as a young man. When he came to Ireland, he met Éamon de Valera at Áras an Uachtaráin in Phoenix Park. This is, therefore, a tangible connection. We also will have a physical connection with the Celtic interconnector. Will the Minister engage with the OPW and French authorities to investigate a permanent commemoration? Potentially, that could take the form of the naming or co-naming of an appropriate section of Chesterfield Avenue in honour of Charles de Gaulle and the enduring Franco-Irish friendship. It would cost relatively little but its symbolism would endure for generations.
I support that call for the change on Chesterfield Avenue. As convener of the Ireland-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, I support any move we can make to solidify that historic and cordial relationship we have with France. I acknowledge the increase in our diplomatic footprint in France that the Minister outlined. We have a great team on the ground, and that is yielding results in its own way.
It is a stated aim of the European affairs committee to advance negotiations to make Ireland part of L'Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie. As the Minister knows – she represented Ireland at it - Ireland has observer status at L'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. While we are a part of that organisation, we are not a part of the associated parliamentary organisation. I ask the Minister to commit to support an application by the Oireachtas to become part of the L'Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie. It is not specifically a French thing but, rather, a French language thing. The French language is spoken and studied by more people in Ireland than any other language, so it is an important move to solidify that relationship.
I thank both Deputies. The naming of this road was raised before by Deputies Heneghan and Ward, as well as by other Deputies. My understanding is that the OPW engaged on this but I am happy to engage with it further to see whether there are different options available. The point is how we commemorate and acknowledge that relationship and connection. I know there are familial connections, such as with the O'Connell family and others. We have launched our new strategic framework, and it is about finding a way within those actions to commemorate that individual.
Beyond that, however, there is a huge amount of work in this document. It is important to progress it from an economic, energy, cultural and international perspective. I am happy to engage with Deputy Ward on his proposal. As he said, it is the only time I have ever given a full speech in French, which I am very proud of. At the same time, we do not have full status or engage as regularly or in the same way as other countries. I am happy to explore that with the Deputy further.
I welcome that. As the Minister said, we have already joined that framework. We should not allow the Presidency to pass without leaving something permanent. I welcome the Minister's commitment to chase this up with the OPW. There is much connection between Ireland and France, about which I am learning more and more. For example, after the Second World War, the Irish Red Cross established hospitals in shattered Normandy towns. The 92nd Infantry Regiment of the French Army continues to carry the heritage of Irish soldiers who served in France centuries ago. Under the Arc de Triomphe, Irish names of Irish descendants can be seen engraved into the rocks. This Presidency gives us an opportunity to ensure that friendship is not only remembered but permanently recognised. Our histories are intertwined and our friendship will endure.
I am happy to engage further on this matter. The Deputy mentioned the security and defence space. I met my French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, on 3 June 2026. We discussed our Presidency priorities and how we advance co-operation on competitiveness and other areas, with particular regard to bilateral co-operation on European security and defence. In the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, we have a proud history of working together on the ground. Our troops work to protect the Lebanese people and support the Lebanese armed forces. We also have an increasing bilateral relationship when it comes to our defence co-operation more broadly, and I would like to see that expand and grow, given our history and proud tradition of peacekeeping.
This document is a developed blueprint from the previous document. It details opportunities where we can try to strengthen that relationship. I am happy to follow up on the issues both Deputies specifically raised with me.