Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and the Leas-Chathaoirleach on their appointment and thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me one minute of speaking time last night. In calling for a "Yes" vote on the Nice treaty, I would like to talk about my membership over the past three years of the committee of the Assembly of European Regions. In that time, I have had the special privilege of working with politicians from western, central and eastern Europe. We have debated, discussed and exchanged information on a range of issues such as regional aid, aviation, gender, industrial employment, the environment, transport and the ageing European constituency. Working with Hungarian, Polish and Romanian politicians, among others, was a special privilege.

As we worked together, we discussed the "No" vote in the last referendum. It was not taken as negatively in eastern Europe as we might think from newspaper coverage here. Politicians there examined the result critically and examined why the Irish people alienated themselves by not turning out to vote. They also examined why people voted "No" to the Nice treaty. We discussed that and also discussed the European model. There was a feeling among those looking on from outside that the centralisation of the European project has placed it too far away from the people. I hope that the European project will continue, but it must become a decentralised model based on the principles of subsidiarity and regional and national autonomy in the decision-making process.