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

I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to be present. I will start by giving an update on the forthcoming General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. As the Chairman has indicated, I will comment on the forthcoming the European elections across our Union, and the political and economic backdrop against which the elections are taking place. Of course, any wider reflection on Europe and the discussion today must also recognise the great change that has taken place in the Union and consider the successful enlargement of our Union. I was delighted to speak earlier today at a special conference in Dublin Castle, at which Deputy Eric Byrne was present, marking the historic 2004 enlargement which took place on 1 May ten years ago and reflecting on the future political, economic and security challenges of the European Union. The Greek Presidency is also arranging a short ceremony to mark the ten year anniversary at next week’s General Affairs Council. I will be delighted to participate in this.

The 2004 accession reunited Europe after years of artificial division. As members will all recall, on 1 May that year, Ireland hosted a Day of Welcomes in the Phoenix Park for the 25 member states and those countries in negotiation to become members.

The late Seamus Heaney was commissioned to write a poem for the occasion entitled Beacons at Bealtaine.In his poem, Heaney exhorted us to "move lips, move minds and make new meanings flare".I hope that we have risen to that call but we must continue to do so.
We can be proud of the development of our relations with the countries who entered in 2004 and since. Our people-to-people contacts have never been stronger. Today, we are proud to count many people originally from the countries that joined the EU ten years ago as part of our Irish community. Our economic relations have also gone from strength to strength. Ireland's goods exports to central and eastern Europe were worth nearly €2.2 billion last year which is three times what they were worth in 2004.
Meanwhile, EU enlargement continues to drive transformation and anchor stability in the countries of south-east Europe aspiring to EU membership. Later this week, I shall attend an EU ministerial conference looking at how we can encourage the next wave of candidates and potential candidates, from the western Balkans, on their path to EU membership. The pull and influence of the EU is helping aspirant countries implement democratic and economic reforms, improve the role of law and respect for human rights and helps them overcome the legacy of their past.
The last General Affairs Council was held in Brussels on 18 March. The Council, which was followed by a lunch with the President of the European Council, focused on the preparation for the March European Council conclusions. The crisis in Ukraine was unsurprisingly uppermost in people's minds.
There was also an extensive exchange of views on the Commission's communication on the Rule of Law Mechanism with differing degrees of enthusiasm for the proposal among member states. It was agreed that the communication warranted a further, more substantial discussion at a future General Affairs Council meeting, possibly in June, when council conclusions on the Commission's proposal could be considered.
Apart from the enlargement ceremony, the main item on the agenda next Tuesday is the preparation of the June European Council. This will be the first ministerial engagement, in advance of the June meeting, of Heads of State and Government and we expect to agree on a draft agenda. Further and more substantive preparatory work will be done at the June General Affairs Council. At present, I expect that the June European Council will focus on the European Semester, climate and energy and the adoption of new strategic guidelines on justice and home affairs, as well as relevant foreign policy issues. It is likely that the Heads of State and Government will also discuss the appointment of the next President of the Commission and any other appointments. The June European Council will conclude the 2014 European Semester by endorsing country specific recommendations for member states. These will then be taken forward through the different national budget and policy cycles.
The committee will recall that we had a very constructive engagement on the European Semester on 1 April in the context of settling our national reform programme. This was then finalised by the Government and submitted to the Commission in mid-April. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, also had an important exchange with the finance committee on 15 April regarding the submission of our Stability Programme update. We currently expect that the Commission will present its draft country specific recommendations on 2 June. This is an issue to which we will return at our June meeting.
Members will also recall that the March European Council held a first policy debate on the framework for climate and energy to 2030. Heads of State and Government agreed that they would take stock of progress made on these issues in June, with a view to taking a final decision on the new policy framework by October. In light of the situation in Ukraine, the Commission was also asked in March to prepare a detailed analysis on Europe's energy security and to propose a comprehensive plan to reduce energy dependency for consideration in June. Meanwhile, intensive work is continuing at technical and political level, involving also the Environment, Energy and Agriculture Councils.
I will now turn to the justice and home affairs strategic guidelines. A key focus for Heads of State and Government in June will be the adoption of strategic guidelines to direct future work in the area of justice and home affairs over the coming years. The guidelines will succeed the Stockholm Programme, the current multi-annual justice and home affairs work programme that expires at the end of this year. Their adoption will be the culmination of a debate that has been ongoing at ministerial and senior working party levels since July 2013, and which has also included the submission of formal written contributions by individual member states in late 2013.
The Presidency has indicated that it will present a paper for discussion at the June Justice and Home Affairs Council, after which a document will be sent to the June European Council that will take on board the views of justice and home affairs' Ministers. It remains to be seen what exact format the document will take or how detailed it will be. However, there is wide agreement among member states that following the development of an extensive legal architecture in the justice and home affairs area over the past 15 years, the next phase should focus primarily on the implementation, evaluation and consolidation of the existing legal framework rather than on a lengthy shopping list of new legislative proposals.
While the Irish Government shares this view, we and other member states have also recommended that the guidelines should be flexible enough to permit further legislative action, where there is clear and objective evidence, that this is necessary and that any additional costs are justifiable. Ireland's official written submission on the issue, a copy of which has been shared with the committee, identified a number of areas of co-operation that we believe should be considered for further development. The Minister for Justice and Equality has highlighted many of these areas in the course of discussions at Justice and Home Affairs Council and elsewhere.
The June European Council is also expected to agree further concrete measures in the area of Regulatory Fitness or REFIT which refers to the work that is being carried out by the Commission at the moment, to ensure that we have the right level of regulation in different sectors of our economy and society. This is an important emphasis that has been established over recent months and involves: withdrawing unnecessary proposals; simplifying what is already in place; and repealing what is out of date. It means reducing transaction costs for the businesses that can and will create new jobs. I hope that I have given the committee a flavour of next week's discussions.
Let me turn to our second agenda item which is the European elections and the broader European backdrop. As the Taoiseach has noted, this month's European elections are the most important for Ireland since we joined the EEC four decades ago because the European Parliament matters like never before. It is also because, in the coming months and term, its influence in the formation of EU legislation and the direction Europe takes is poised to be greater than ever before.
As members of the committee are aware, the Lisbon treaty has substantially enhanced the role and powers of the Strasbourg Parliament. Co-decision is now the EU's standard legislative practice, meaning that Parliament has a significant say in the formation of almost all EU legislation.

Members of the committee should consider its output over its current term. It included 45,000 legislative amendments, of which 16,000 were adopted, 2,091 committee reports on issues ranging from the Common Fisheries Policy to the role of the troika in European Union programme countries and more than 22,000 votes in plenary session, leading to the adoption of 2,583 texts, including 970 legislative acts. These numbers tell only part of the story.

The range of policy areas over which the Parliament exerts influence is just as telling. To take a few examples, the Parliament played an essential role in determining the EU’s multiannual financial framework. It contributed to the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and in its final session last month, it voted through legislation enacting the single resolution mechanism, the banking restructuring and resolution directive and provisions on the preferential treatment of depositors, all of which are critical steps in the creation of banking union. The next Parliament will take equally critical decisions on everything from Europe’s environmental and climate change commitments to what I hope will be a historic free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union.

One of the Parliament’s first and most important tasks will be to consider the European Council’s nominee for the Presidency of the European Commission. The steps from the elections to this critical vote and from thence to the final appointment of the Commission are worth considering, given their relevance to all that will follow in this term. All 28 member states will hold their elections between 22 and 25 May. Provisional results should be available quickly, with final results to be confirmed in June, in the course of which newly-elected MEPs will meet and constitute their political groups. During the same period, the Heads of State and Government will consider their nominee for the President of the European Commission with a view to reaching a decision at the June European Council. This consideration will take account of the results of the European election. The Parliament will hold its first plenary or constitutive session between 1 and 3 July. This will be dedicated to the formal constitution of the Parliament, with the new MEPs set to elect the President of the Parliament, 14 Vice-Presidents and six quaestors, as well as the chairs and vice chairs of the committees.

Assuming the Heads of State and Government select a nominee at the June Council, the Parliament would be expected to vote on the proposal at its second plenary session, which is scheduled for 14 to 17 July. When the Commission President has been elected, the Council, in agreement with the President, will adopt the list of Commissioners designate. Commissioners designate will then be called to appear in public before the relevant European parliamentary committees. After this screening process is complete, the President will present the full College of Commissioners and its programme at a plenary session of Parliament, which will then vote its consent to the Commission’s appointment. If all goes to schedule, the new Commission should take office on 1 November.

While this timing is provisional and somewhat uncertain, it is absolutely clear that the upcoming elections will substantially alter the Strasbourg and Brussels landscapes. As for what shape the new Parliament will take, current polls suggest the two main political groups, namely, the European People's Party, EPP, and the Socialists and Democrats, S&D, are closely matched. They also point to a significant increase in the representation of the far right, far left and eurosceptic parties. Indeed, indications are that anti-EU parties might secure as many as a quarter of all seats and may top national polls in several member states. All of this could mean a more volatile, fragmented and polarised European Parliament will emerge. However, as several commentators have suggested, it also is possible that the result will mean those parties in support of the EU will end up working more closely together than ever before.

Whatever is the case, the growth of euroscepticism is a worrying trend which, if left unchecked, could threaten the legitimacy of the European project. The fact that anti-EU voices have gained support through the economic crisis is of course unsurprising. In times of uncertainty and especially in times of high unemployment, the attraction of simplistic solutions should not be underestimated. While the promise that the challenges of a globalised world can be overcome by nation states retreating into protectionism can provide comfort, it is simply untrue. The reality is much more complex. Globalisation has changed the game for nations. It requires that we work together and this, as I have said a number of times, is what I believe the contemporary rationale of the EU should be, that is, by working together we can achieve more in a changing world than we could on our own. If the arguments of euroscepticism are to be debunked and the legitimacy of the Union maintained and enhanced, it is essential that this truth be demonstrated to voters. I believe this is best achieved through our response to the crisis, by restoring stability and delivering jobs and growth throughout the continent.

I will conclude with some thoughts on this work with regard to Ireland’s work with the European Parliament. More than most, perhaps, Ireland has special cause to recognise the importance of this rapidly evolving institution. Its Ministers and officials worked closely with the Parliament in preparing for and delivering Ireland's EU Presidency. In the 18 months prior to the Presidency, there were more than 35 visits by Irish Ministers to the Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. During the Presidency, Ministers participated in more than 70 debates in committee and plenary while at official level, Ireland held almost 350 trilogues with MEPs. This engagement has left the Government with a clear impression of the Parliament’s significance, a valuable insight into its workings and a strong network of influential contacts. Since the Presidency, the Government has looked to continue this positive engagement. A Minister has travelled to Strasbourg each month for most plenary sessions. I myself have already attended twice and will continue to so do in the coming months, as will other ministerial colleagues.

This engagement in the early sessions of the new Parliament will be critical in reinforcing Ireland's existing connections and in developing new ones. This is all the more vital given that the turnover of MEPs is set to be especially pronounced as just 336 current MEPs are seeking re-election, which means that more than half of the 751-member Parliament will be new. Many important figures are retiring, including group leaders Hannes Swoboda and Joseph Daul, as well as influential committee chairs Sharon Bowles, Malcolm Harbour and Klaus-Heiner Lehne. The scale of change and the growing powers of the Parliament make it essential that the 11 MEPs the Irish people elect this month, whatever their political background, are active and engaged from the outset. While Ireland's share of the Parliament is relatively small, the influence of our MEPs in advancing and protecting our national interests at EU level can be significant.

I also wish to emphasise two recent and important examples in this regard arising from different areas of European Parliament activity. If one considers the role the European Parliament and its MEPs in committee played in the latter stages of the design and negotiation of the structures for banking union, it is a clear example of the role of the European Parliament in negotiations and discussions that are vital to the Irish national interest. Another example relates to the role the European Parliament now plays in areas such as consumer rights and health policy. I was present in Strasbourg for the votes the European Parliament took in plenary session on the proposals for plain cigarette packaging.

That decision by the European Parliament provides a tangible example for people of the impact of the consumption of such products on their health. Perhaps such tangible examples in the areas of health, consumer policy and the rights of consumers provide a clearer example of the impact and role the European Parliament plays in our daily lives than, for example, a discussion on the proposed banking union which, while vital and of the highest priority for our national interests, sometimes does not exhibit itself in the daily lives of our citizens in the way changes in areas of consumer policy and health policy might. Both of those are vivid examples of the role of the European Parliament. That is the reason we have had Ministers attend nearly every session of the plenary sessions in Strasbourg since our Presidency and I have undertaken much of that travel myself.

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to address the committee. I will do my best to respond to any comments or questions the members may have.