Debate contributions by Aodhán Ó RÍORDÁIN

Madam President, the debate about drugs is not really about drugs at all. It's actually about power: those who have it and those who don't. The war on drugs is a complete and utter waste of time, and it's hurting vulnerable citizens. It is a total misunderstanding of the nature of addiction – 'If we just ban drugs and arrest the people who take them, everything will be fine'. Well, it doesn't work. People in every walk of life, in every income bracket – including in politics, journalism, the judiciary and the police – take drugs, but they're not the ones who end up in court. The people who end up in court are those who society feels are powerless. I agree we need to take drug supply away from the hands of drug gangs who terrorise our communities. But we need to spend the money wasted on criminalising the drug user on harm reduction, support and education. Europe doesn't need a war on drugs. Europe needs a war on poverty, on social exclusion and on homelessness. We must decriminalise the drug user across Europe.

Mr President, housing is the social justice issue of our generation, and in my city of Dublin rents have reached record levels, with the average rent now hitting EUR 2 300 per month, and most young Dubliners have given up on the hope of ever owning a home. As Social Democrats, we have put the housing crisis at the core of our agenda for the next five years. We have delivered the EU's first-ever Commissioner for housing, and I am happy that it will be in the hands of a colleague, Social Democrat Dan Jørgensen. We must deliver an EU affordable housing plan. However, there is one glaring omission from the EU Commission mission letter. The issue of homelessness. The EU has set aside the goal of eliminating homelessness by 2030. We have five years to go and we are moving in the wrong direction. 4 400 Irish children are homeless. That is 4 400 stolen childhoods. We can and we must house our people. And as has been said, a roof is a right.

Madam President, EU institutions are complicit in death, destruction and genocide. The EU has looked the other way while Israel has unleashed a level of brutality that is beyond comprehension. This is not new. This EU facilitation of Israel has been going on for over 50 years. Now, Israel seems to be intent on delivering the same bombardment upon the people of Lebanon as they unleashed in Gaza. Last night, in one hour alone, over 120 missiles were dropped on southern Lebanon. As we speak, 25 Irish peacekeepers are trapped in an outpost in southern Lebanon because of the illegal behaviour of the IDF. And frankly, I was disgusted to read the statement of Commission President von der Leyen on Sunday. It failed to condemn the Israeli war crimes. It failed to recognise the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands. It failed to mention the need to uphold international law or the deaths of 17 000 children, 2 000 of which are under the age of two. Israel must face sanctions now or we will have more blood on our hands.

Mr President, what I'm about to say, I say as an Irish MEP, but equally as important, I say as a committed social democrat. Corporations must pay their fair share. Sweetheart deals, profit shifting and corporate financial engineering designed to avoid paying tax must have no place in Ireland, and they must have no place in the EU. For years, the Irish Labour Party has called for Ireland to step up and engage with global tax justice initiatives. This judgment vindicates our call – for which we were roundly criticised by other parties in Ireland – to sign up to both pillars of the OECD corporation tax reform process. Although belated, I am glad the Irish Government has begun to engage with global tax reform initiatives. But there's a long way to go if we are to ensure tax justice once and for all for our citizens. Any economic model that relies disproportionately on corporation tax receipts is completely unsustainable and ultimately a danger to the Irish economy. If we don't act now, we risk repeating the mistakes we made 15 years ago in Ireland. Three corporations in Ireland account for EUR 10 billion of Ireland's tax revenue. The Commission needs to remind Ireland of the reasons for the economic collapse of 15 years ago.

Madam President, sanction Israel now! Madam President, this is my first speech in this Chamber, and I wanted those to be my first words. What is happening in Gaza is nothing short of a total humanitarian catastrophe. Some 41 000 Palestinians have been killed. Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and 2 million Gazans are being left to starve, without electricity, without clean water, without a sewage system or without even a single fully functional hospital. The EU's response to this crisis has been totally inadequate and unacceptable. And this is the reason why I voted against Ursula von der Leyen to remain as President of the European Commission. Only real, tangible action against Israel can stop the suffering. This means scrapping the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It means sanctioning key individual ministers within the Netanyahu regime for their role in inciting war crimes and genocidal acts. And, crucially, it means economic sanctions against the State of Israel. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner. Nearly 30 % of Israel's exports were sold to the EU. At its core, the EU is a project of peace. If we are serious about peace in Gaza, justice for Palestinians and a two-state solution, we must be serious about sanctions against Israel.