Annual State of the Union Address to the IIEA

In his annual State of the Union address to the IIEA, Minister Coveney reflects on the EU’s central role in tackling the most pressing issues of our day including Conflict, Climate and Covid-19. While he adverts to the successful role that the EU has played around vaccine leadership and pandemic recovery, he warns that we cannot be naïve to the difficulty of the threats we face. He recalls that this moment reminds us that neither peace nor progress are inevitable, but that the experience of recent decades provides evidence that they are always possible. The Minister makes the case that the EU and its partners need to do better to stand up for their values and that these need to be reflected in actions and not just words.

The Minister also reflects on the last 50 years of Ireland’s membership of the EU and how this has helped elevate Ireland to a position where it now has a respected and credible voice in international affairs. He argues that this privileged position comes with the responsibility that this voice should be used to continue to advocate for a principled, rules-based and just multi-lateral order.

About the Speaker:

Simon Coveney TD is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence. He is also the Deputy Leader of Fine Gael. He previously served as Tánaiste from November 2017 to June 2020, and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government as well as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He was appointed as Minister for Defence for the first time in 2014 and for a second time in 2020. He represents the Cork South Central constituency.