Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will comment on the point made by Deputy Paschal Donohoe on Greece. Difficult discussions are under way aimed at helping Greece to return to the path of sustainability. It is fair to say one year ago there was much public and political discussion about whether Greece would leave the eurozone. That is not on the agenda and is not being raised as a serious prospect. It is important to recognise that progress has been made and that it is clear that Greece intends to stay in the eurozone and that the European Union as a whole and the eurozone wants Greece to stay in it. It will work with Greece to ensure that happens. It is also interesting to note the discussion which has taken place in the past couple of days on whether it will take eight or ten years for Greece to work through its difficulties. Not so very long ago there were voices in this House stating we should do what Greece was doing. We now see the wisdom of not having doing so. We are looking at a situation where it could be eight to ten years for Greece to work through its difficulties. We are talking about exiting our programme next year. The most recent discussions with the troika were in that space. It is very important that there is solidarity with Greece. The European Union is about solidarity and members states showing their support for others. That will be part of the discussion. I am glad, therefore, that the speculation about Greece exiting the currency has come to an end, as that will probably help to ensure stability.

Ireland and Britain, our nearest neighbour, joined what was then the EEC at the same time. Britain has always been a very important partner for Ireland in the European Union. We have very often found ourselves on the same side of discussions and arguments. As a consequence, we have a very special relationship. There is a certain degree of debate in Britain about its future in the European Union. It is very much in our interests that it remain a fully engaged member of the Union. In bilateral discussions we have with it, we express the hope it will continue as a member. The European Union is very important for the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom is a very important member of the European Union.

We are anxious to ensure the provisions in respect of hunger will be maintained. We have our own development body. Development aid policy is very much focused on hunger and nutrition. We were a leader in what has become known as the SUN - Scaling Up of Nutrition - movement. We want to see these funds maintained in the budget.

On the issue raised by Deputy Joe Reilly on youth unemployment, the sequence is that we expect there will be a package of measures which we hope will include proposals in respect of the youth guarantee and youth training to come from the European Commission in December. The discussion on the funding of these proposals will follow and we will continue to press for an adequate weighting in the Cohesion Fund allocations for unemployment, particulary youth unemployment, measures.

On the Common Agricultural Policy, we are very conscious that 85% of the funding allocated to Ireland through the European Union comes through the Common Agricultural Policy. Clearly, it is a major financial priority for us to ensure we secure the right outcome. We are working closely with other member states with an interest in the Common Agricultural Policy to ensure we secure the best outcome in the negotiations, including maximising the flexibility under Pillar 1 in respect of direct payments. Deputy Seán Kyne, who mentioned the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy in respect of food security and rural communities, would strongly agree with this. Since we have placed a very strong emphasis on the European Union budget, its objective to address job creation and growth, the food sector is of significant importance in that context. As we have seen in the past couple of years, growth in food and agricultural production in terms of its potential for economic development and job creation is of major importance. It is not a case of either-or.

I asked about the regions.