Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a number of members indicating they wish to speak. Before I call the first of those, which would be Deputy Howlin, there is one aspect I wish to raise because no doubt we will have a focus this morning on what is happening in Israel.

In relation to the conclusion of the Minister of State's speech, I want to put on record my own particular view on this. The Macron proposal or so-called the Franco-German proposal, with the exception of the rule of law which the Minister of State quite correctly highlighted, is one of the most unacceptable proposals that I have seen coming out of Franco-German thinking in a long time in relation to the European Union. It is not a path for the European Union. It is a path to the dissolution of the European Union as we know it today. Whether one dresses it up or dresses it down, in concentric circles, rings or whatever way they want to phrase it, it would result in a situation where the current structure and entity that is the European Union would be completely undermined. It also, I believe, has a major implication for enlargement because it is difficult to see how one would have an enlargement process where one would be effectively offering membership status to countries on the basis of them being in a ring that is somewhere next to Jupiter's, Saturn's or something like that which would be so far out from the centre.

I wanted to put that on record. The Minister of State does not necessarily need to respond. I think it is important that small countries, particularly at an early stage, have their views heard in relation to what has been proposed in that.

Sorry, I did not mean to go on as long as that. Anyway, I call Deputy Howlin, who is the first Deputy.