Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Commissioner for being here on his first bilateral visit as the pandemic comes to an end. I thank him for his kind comments on Ireland. We consider ourselves to be at the heart of Europe and appreciate the tremendous benefits which the European Union has brought to this country, and indeed to all the member states.

I thank the Commission for its solidarity in relation to the Brexit issue, throughout the withdrawal agreement, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and the Northern Ireland protocol, which is much appreciated. Obviously, work remains to be done, as we work through the protocol issue and arrive at solutions. We had Vice President Šefovi before our committee previously, and we gave our suggestions as to how solutions could be arrived at. Hopefully, that work will continue.

My main question is in regard to the OECD agreement and tax proposals. I know the Commissioner had a number of meetings today and that he will be aware of the position of our Minister for Finance who said that key issues remain to be resolved and that there are too many unknowns for Ireland to sign up to it. We are also conscious of the position of the US, and in particular US Congress.

In that context, I have two questions. Is there an appreciation of Ireland's position regarding corporate tax rates, our economic model and our economic success since the late 1950s in attracting foreign direct investment? Is there an appreciation of that?

The second question is on the US position and the domestic US political situation on agreeing these proposals. I am interested in the Commission's assessment of that.

My second issue is more general and concerns Europe's economy as a whole. I was a member of Parliament when the Lisbon strategy was agreed in 2000. It aimed to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. The general consensus is that was not achieved. That strategy was succeeded by Europe 2020. What is the Commissioner's assessment of the European economy going forward on a global scale? Are we on course to be the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy compared to the other economic blocs in the globalised world? Does the Commissioner believe we are succeeding and will succeed in that regard? What measures are being taken to ensure that? I am sure other speakers will deal with the national recovery and resilience plan so I will leave it at that. I thank the Commissioner.