Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

While it is not a specific agenda item on Thursday, it is ever-present because it is an energy policy for the citizens of Europe, not just for the governments. The extent to which the citizens of the EU, including Ireland, feel alienated from energy policy, do not understand why certain decisions are made, disagree with some of the decisions that are made or do not feel they have an opportunity for input, is very important. If that is the case, it cannot be a good backdrop for an energy policy or for any policy. There is a responsibility on governments, on Ministers and on politicians to first, understand the issues, which I know the members of this committee do, but also to explain and debate those issues in public and to explain why we take decisions and why we have taken certain directions in our energy policy.

If we look at the changes that have to take place in Ireland and in every economy in the world, although we have discussed the 2020 targets, we must bear in mind that in February or March of next year we will have new targets for 2030. Those targets will not come out of Paris immediately because effectively, there will be a negotiation at the global level to try to achieve a deal. There was already a commitment at the European Council meeting last year in terms of all-EU targets, which have been set, and Ireland’s new targets for 2030 will be set in the very early part of next year. We will have to make big changes in how we manage our economy and energy consumption, and not just on the energy side because this also affects agriculture, transport and all of these other areas.

We will all need to be at the top of our game as public representatives but we will also need to have a generous and open conversation with the people of Ireland on what changes are necessary, why they are necessary and how we propose to bring people with us. If we are serious about adjusting our economy in the way that will be necessary with these new targets, we will have to try to devise a better way of debating and agreeing these issues as a community. We have not done that sufficiently well. I will deal with that in the White Paper.