Following an independent investigation into Aughinish Alumina’s links to Russia, Minister of State Niall Collins has said any decision taken next that would be “self-defeating” for Ireland or Europe should not be taken.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme, Mr Collins said: “What’s of paramount importance is that we do not take any decision that hurts Limerick workers, hurts the Irish economy or the European economy.”
Earlier this week, the Taoiseach said the Government’s investigation into Aughinish Alumina has not found definitive proof linking its alumina exports to weapons manufacturers in Russia.
The report has not yet been fully published, and Mr Collins said that there was “no deliberate attempt to withhold anything from anybody”.
He said it was an evidence-based report and that Ukrainians were consulted but within the detailed report there are commercial sensitivities, and there are legal reasons why the full report will not be published.
The report is now with the European Commission, and Mr Collins said that there are options on the table for it to consider.
He said they will have to consider the findings in the report which sets out the facts of the workings of Aughinish and the workings of the global supply chain.
“The EU relies significantly on alumina which comes from the Aughinish site,” he said.
“When a transparent and verifiable oversight mechanism (for the EU to deploy) is on offer, I think the European Commission should take that very seriously.
“Any decision that could be ultimately taken can’t be self defeating and can’t inflict damage on the Irish economy or the European economy, or cost us jobs in Limerick,” said Mr Collins.
He suggested that a proper third-party oversight mechanism can be put in place to give a degree of transparency, and could be carried out by a specialist organisation with a global presence.
The Limerick TD said that there is a huge demand right across the EU and globally for aluminium and Aughinish is part of a global metals company which supply metals and alloys right around the globe.
“Alumina is categorised as a critical raw material in the EU and aluminium is not a sanctioned product,” added Mr Collins.
Ukrainian diplomat expresses concerns over Aughinish exports
Meanwhile, first secretary on economic issues at the Ukrainian Embassy in Ireland, Yaroslav Humeniuk, said that Ukrainians are concerned that alumina is still being exported to Russia.
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Humeniuk said that the Ukrainian side has not received any report yet.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t receive any copy of it, and we didn’t have any communication regarding it with the Department of Enterprise.”
He said that it is very important to receive the report and go through it, for their Ukrainian experts and authorities.
“What we want from our partners, from Ireland, we need to proceed and to find a solution how to stop supporting Russia in their war and how to stop this supply chain of alumina to Russia.
“We want to stop it going to Russia specifically,” he said.
Mr Humeniuk added that this was not just about Ukrainian security, pointing out that agriculture enterprises in Ukraine are under attack, and it is about food security in Ukraine, the Middle East, north Africa and other regions.