Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Tánaiste and his officials and thank him for his clear and concise presentation. Most of the questions I had in mind have been well aired and addressed. Among other issues I wished to raise were the continued support for the Common Agricultural Policy and the continued focus on jobs and growth. While the latter appears to form part of all Presidencies and is widely discussed, sadly there has been great difficulty in implementing pan-European policies that would support such an approach.

Much of our current problems, as the Tánaiste is aware, are tied up with the lack of credit supply. While certain measures have been taken to resolve problems in the banking sector, there remains, I regret, considerable credit tightness which is causing major difficulty for small and medium enterprises and the domestic market. Similar problems pertain in a number of other countries and, as the Tánaiste noted, part of our recovery platform rests on our ability to trade into these other member state economies. Our efforts are being hampered by the necessity to address our debt and, in particular, deficit problem.

The Tánaiste indicated that the overall size of the European Union budget is a key issue and one of the most difficult issues being addressed. Should member states engage in greater economic integration? Must we grapple with this issue once and for all and decide what we want do with the European budget? If we are to support jobs and growth on a Europe-wide basis, do we not need a much larger budget?

That is not necessarily an easy one from the point of view of other countries because they see themselves as the paymasters. We have seen that in regard to issues such as eurobonds and various other mechanisms that might be utilised. Is there a time when a small country can start to put forward a contrarian viewpoint? One could argue that there is never a good time for that because we are dependent to a large extent or because we negotiate well. However, from contacts I have had with parliamentarians from some of the smaller - some would say peripheral - countries, there is a desire to see a much greater focus and emphasis on them. The Tánaiste might not get his way before Ireland takes over the Presidency. Indeed, he might not get his way until he is the one sitting at that table the longest and that can happen, which brings its own challenges. We need to set the agenda. Ireland is very good at bringing together other countries with similar desires and needs. I have great faith in the Tánaiste's skills and capacity and believe it is time for Ireland to state clearly what we think the European budget should be about and the values and policies we think should flow from it.