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

I welcome Mr. Temple-Smithson. I congratulate him. He comes at a very important time and juncture in terms of the relationship between the individual member states and the European institutions of the parliament and the Commission. He also comes at a very important time from the point of view of the international image of the EU, where it is going and where it is likely to end up. Unfortunately, it would appear to some of us at least that the EU has begun to drift. The philosophy of the EU has become indistinct. The vision of the EU is not as pronounced as it used to be. There are various groups throughout the EU - albeit not the most powerful or pivotal groups at this stage but nonetheless influential - that have another vision for the Continent and the EU. We also have Brexit. All of this presents a huge challenge to us.

I would be a strong supporter of the European concept. Without that unity, cohesion and travelling in the same direction at the same time, I believe that Europe would be much the poorer. It is impossible for Europe to survive without there being a recognition of the general broad thrust of where European policy was supposed to go and where the founding fathers of modern Europe had expected it to go. We know that it had an inspiration at the time. It was born out of despair. When formed, the European Coal and Steel Community was there for a purpose. We know what the purpose was. All of that has become a bit nebulous in recent times. There is an urgent necessity for the EU to reassess itself. I am not going to mention any individual countries, but there are member states that seem to have moved away from the vision of Europe. I am of the view that Europe cannot survive that way. It has never survived in the past for very long when going in that direction. I do not believe it can do so now. There are those who suggest that we are in modern times, that we are in a different time and a different era and that we are not going to make the mistakes we made before. I am sorry but that is not a fact and that is not true. The mistakes have been repeated hundreds of times all down through the millennia. There is no reason why that will not happen again.

I compliment the witness with regard to the focus on youth. We need to depend on the young generation to identify with that modern vision of Europe. We need them to express to us what their vision for Europe in the future is and will remain. We need them to recognise the strength in unity throughout Europe and where that can go. I have mentioned it before, but I thought it was a really sad sight when refugees were coming across the borders into Europe in recent years and one of the images promoted was that of razor wire.

Razor wire is something of which Europeans should be wary. Its production to greet children and adults running away from war and famine and in fear of what would follow is a very sad reflection on sophisticated people and cohesive groups. It is sad that the best that could be offered to the people in question was a hands-off approach which did irreparable damage to the image of Europe at the time. I am the first to admit that it was not the European Union's policy but that of individual member states. There is a need for individual member states to take ownership of the European project, a topic we have talked about here before. If we do not take ownership of it, it will drift and create serious problems for each member state and even countries that are not member states. Unless there is a clear recognition that we have a destiny that binds us together, we will return to the position we were in before joining. Some of us were lucky enough to see the European Union emerging virtually from the beginning and would not like to see it disintegrate. I have begun to notice, as I am sure everybody else has, various spokespersons, committees of the European Parliament and even individual Commissioners from time to time comment on and correct individual member states. That is not their function as they are not our political masters. Their job is to recognise what we have to say, as individual member states, and adopt it in a global European policy. They must respect member states and their unfortunate public representatives and regimes.

I apologise to the Chairman for talking so long.