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

I welcome the Commissioner and thank him for addressing us. I congratulate him and his colleagues on their successful initiatives to date.

I will ask a number of questions on pressing economic issues. Is the Commission satisfied with the progress made in restoring economic activity throughout the EU? We in Ireland are happy to have a reasonable growth rate, but it is not replicated across the EU. To what extent is the Union addressing these issues? Is the work programme adequate to deal with them on a priority basis?

My next question is on climate change, in particular the extent to which climate change measures such as carbon reduction targets can be contained within the food-producing agricultural sector without one damaging the other. By this I mean achieving the targets while ensuring that the agrifood business is allowed to expand and progress, given the global need for food.

My final question is on youth unemployment or employment, which is the reverse side. Have adequate steps to address this issue been taken and responded to positively throughout the EU, in particular as regards long-term youth unemployment?