Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates and thank them for coming to speak on this important issue. I would like to ask about Eurobarometer surveys and the attitudes of people in Ireland and across the European Union towards the Union and its institutions. There has been a decrease in confidence and trust in European institutions. Do the delegates think the reality of people's experience of the Union - the most recent experience in Ireland was with the troika - has affected their opinions of the Union and its institutions?

Unemployment and emigration rates are still high, while the mortgage and debt crisis is pushing more people towards financial hardship. This has the effect of dampening domestic demand and, in some respects, blocking a return to economic growth. Do the delegates think this is affecting people's opinions of EU institutions? What do the European Council and the Commission need to do to reverse this trend in public confidence? In particular, what policy change, if any, is required?

I have read Professor Laffan's document and heard what she had to say. She referred to input legitimacy and said it was not just about giving a voice to the people but also concerned their responsiveness. She said she thought there would be a new treaty. In that context, how does she think the re-running of referenda feeds into this? Going back to the confidence issue, when people say "No," how does the reaction that there will be another referendum feed into the issue of input legitimacy?

Professor Laffan referred to the democratic accountability and legitimacy of the European Union. Last week the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Martin Schulz, said it was a Frankenstein Europe because there was not the necessary balance of powers across the European institutions. He said people could not trust the Union when the division of labour was not clear on a legal basis.

Professor Laffan said democratic politics was largely national, while Mr. Schulz said the European Commission was an undemocratic mix of legislative and executive powers. He also said we needed to reform the Commission and parliamentarise the European Union. I would like to get Professor Laffan's opinion on that issue.

Professor Laffan referred to the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, and the British Labour Party. I would like to hear her views on the recent result achieved by the UKIP candidate in the Eastleigh by-election and what it means for Mr. Cameron and the Tory Party.