The Prime Minister of Ireland insists on his confrontation with Sánchez so that the EU reviews the agreement with Israel

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Advocates in the migration field for “a safe and fair Europe” without building a “fortress”

Oct. 16 () –

The Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris, has announced that at the European Council meeting that begins this Thursday he will reiterate “together” with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, the request for the EU to review the current association agreement with Israel, something which he now considers “more pressing” given the provisional measures issued this year by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“The leaders of the EU and the Middle East have a responsibility to do everything we can to put an end to the devastating violence,” said Harris, who hopes for a “strong and united” message from the European Council.

Spain and Ireland already demanded in February an “urgent” review of the Association Agreement, without this having so far been translated into practical steps. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, has announced that he will ask the member states to evaluate whether Israel has failed to comply with its commitments on Human Rights at the meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in November, the last of his mandate.

The meeting of heads of state and government also comes preceded by an escalation of attacks on Lebanon, a front in which Harris hopes that UN troops will be “fully protected.” He trusts that in this area there will also be a “strong signal” of support for the mission (UNIFIL), as well as for the entire UN at a “more general” level, after the latest accusations leveled by the Israeli Executive against the Secretary General. Antonio Guterres.

“Israel’s deliberate attacks against UNIFIL positions violate international law and cannot be tolerated,” stressed the head of the Irish Government in statements released by his office.

IMMIGRATION DEBATE

Another of the major topics of the imminent meeting will be migration, which Harris recognizes as being of “vital political importance” for the EU as a whole. In his case, he has advocated for “a safe and fair Europe”, although he has pointed out that a “fortress” cannot be built, among other things because the continent also needs migrants, without referring to specific proposals.

Harris has been in favor of “an immigration system that recognizes the benefits that legal migration brings to societies and economies and that, at the same time, addresses irregular migration, to combat human traffickers who endanger the lives of desperate people, protect borders and work with international partners to tackle the causes that push people to leave their homes.