Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Minister of State on his address. One hopes all our influence will concentrate on encouraging our UK neighbours to remain within the EU. Exit will have disastrous consequences for the Union itself, for Northern Ireland and for this country. No matter what structure is put in place it cannot improve the situation. We hope the Minister of State and his colleagues will use every opportunity to convey that view at the meeting. The thinking people in the UK Government and the country will agree with that.

In respect of the meetings, competitiveness remains an issue and we hope work continues on that. I am worried by the reference to a greater role for national parliaments. I have raised this question on numerous occasions. I cannot see how a greater role for national parliaments is of any benefit to the European Union unless the national parliaments are similarly disposed towards the union. If they are not, how will the greater role for each parliament improve the cohesiveness and effectiveness of the Union? It cannot. I hope a greater emphasis will be put on the need to ensure the membership of national parliaments recognises the European project and whatever debate takes place does not take place in a divisive fashion, and that when we express our views in the European arena we have (a) our interests at heart and (b) the EU’s interests at heart and try to make the two converge.

There is a grave danger that the credibility of the institutions of the EU will suffer as a result of the Greek situation. For the past six months there has been continued speculation on what the resolution will be. If the member states want it one way, let them do it. If it is the agreed decision of each member state of the union that they come together to bail out the Greeks they should do so but let us not play around with it forever. If the member states intend to bail out a colleague in the Union then by all means do so. Let us remember, however, that we had to bail ourselves out with huge sacrifices on the part of the people, Government and Members of the Parliament. We all had to take a lot of abuse and criticism in order to do what needed to be done but we did it. We had the resolve, the conviction and dedication to do that. There are lessons to be learned from that. If it is the intention of the Union to come together with the opinion that we, the EU states, will bail out Greece then do it, but continued speculation and procrastination will not help the situation and will undermine, with disastrous consequences, the whole concept of the Union.