Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank members for their questions. The Chairman asked about Bosnia Herzegovina and whether there was fatigue regarding enlargement and a more prominent role for the EU in the Balkans. That is not the case. Consider the EU's strong role in the breakthrough in the Serbia-Kosovo relationship. The High Representative, Baroness Catherine Ashton, played a pivotal role in that regard. Serbia is making progress in developing its relationship with the EU. It goes without saying that we are holding this discussion in the aftermath of our friends in Croatia having successfully joined the EU. The EU's recent track record in the region shows one new member state and the Union playing a significant role in seeking to advance stability and good relations between the region's countries.

We must acknowledge that the nature of the accession process has changed significantly for many of the countries currently involved in it. This is because the Union itself has changed.

The level of integration within the European Union has evolved considerably for existing member states.

The process Ireland went through to join the European Union is incomparable to the process gone through by countries that recently joined or those seeking to join. Given that the Union has changed and the integration within it has deepened, the accession process has changed in parallel to that. Having been in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina and talking to people in other countries in the region, I understand the difficulties that can create for them but this is all about trying to put in place a process that is right for countries seeking to join the Union and for the Union itself.

The Chairman is correct is saying that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, negotiations is of huge importance to Ireland and I am aware it is becoming the source of increased public comment in America where much discussion is currently taking place. We believe that negotiations in this regard are continuing to progress in a satisfactory manner. We are very much aware of the role our country played in this regard during our Presidency when we got much of this process up and running, and we have a clear stake in ensuring that continues. When the Taoiseach and other members of Government visit America in the near future it would provide a great opportunity to emphasise this point and make clear the scale of the mutual prize open to America and the European Union.

On the Chairman's point about the role of this committee in the selection of the next Irish Commissioner, he will be aware that I am a firm supporter of the clear delineation between the role of the Oireachtas and the role of the Executive. It is entirely up to this committee to decide what it wants to do and how it wants to structure its engagement with that candidate or any other candidate. I would note, however, that when the candidates go forward they will face a thorough scrutiny process within the European Parliament, but I will leave that matter to the Chairman.

Regarding the series of discussions in the universities, the background to this, which I will briefly explain to the committee, is that we find ourselves in a position where a very large number of our citizens are represented in the European institutions, such as the Commission, at senior and middle management levels. As those people move on to other endeavours, we will find ourselves in a position where the kind of representation we have had in the past will decline. We are currently putting in place a proactive campaign on two different levels. The first is to encourage Irish graduates - people already working - to consider careers within the European institutions. The second is to examine what we can do to ensure that Irish people currently working within our civil and public services have the opportunity to work within these institutions as part of their careers.

With regard to what I am doing to support each of those elements, particularly the college element noted by the Chairman noted, I am travelling to all the colleges to launch the campaign. We have done two of those. We started off last Monday in University College Dublin, UCD, we then moved on to Trinity College, and we will work our way around the country to do the same. I was struck by the number of people who turned up at each of these events. More than 150 people attended the event held in UCD. It was standing room only; the room was packed. The Trinity College event was over-subscribed by a multiple of three. We ended up with an attendance of between 130 and 140 people and we could probably have filled a room twice the size of the one in which we held the event. Such attendance would be driven by different reasons, with which members would be very familiar, but I was encouraged that a very large number of very capable young Irish men and women showed an interest in working in our public services and our European public services. Were that to develop, that would be to our collective benefit, to the benefit of Ireland and Europe. As candidates become apparent who want to apply and who are credible in terms of being successful at the other end of the process, we will help them in that process because we want to support people through it and give them every support we can.

Senator Noone raised two points. On her point regarding a reduction in the number of MEPs, I am well aware, as is the Senator, of the change we have had here. We will still have a very significant representation within the European Parliament. Our MEPs are of a very high calibre and I am sure that will be the case following the next European Parliament elections.