Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Auroi who has raised a number of issues. I will update the delegates on the Presidency and talk about COSAC and what this committee is doing on some of the issues raised about the future of the European Union and banking and political union. There were other issues such as Article 13, about which I can talk. I will allow some of my colleagues to answer some of the questions and if they do not pick up on them, I will come back to them. If no one picks up on the issue of the financial transaction tax, I will come back to it also. The democratic deficit also concerns us. The expert on climate change is not with us today, but we can all talk about that issue.

I will start with the Presidency. At this stage, we have just over one month left. One of our key priorities was to restore stability to the European Union. That involved trying to sort out the multi-annual financial framework. We still have some way to go before reaching agreement with the European Parliament, but we think we are quite close and are hopeful we will reach agreement.

We thought it important to proceed and progress the issue of banking union. We have managed to conclude the issues involved in regard to the single supervisory mechanism, thanks to the agreement of countries such as France. We have moved in the area of banking union, but there are still issues in regard to resolution which will take more time to conclude.

Another key priority for us was seeking economic growth and job creation. Ms Auroi referred to the EU-US trade agreement. As she will know, we have progressed that issue and have also looked at trade agreements with Japan and countries in the Far East.

We have managed to get agreement on an issue of key importance to us - youth unemployment. The youth guarantee scheme agreed at the February Council is very worthwhile. We are in complete agreement on the issue of finances. The point was made that there was not enough to go around. The initial agreement was that the scheme would be accessible to those countries such as Ireland and Spain which had a youth unemployment rate of more than 25%. That level has come down to 20%, while, at the same time, the age limit has gone up from 25 to 30 years of age. Therefore, many more people are in the pot, so to speak, but the money has not increased. This is an issue for us and we believe the figure of €6 billion is nowhere near enough. Senator Kathryn Reilly might wish to speak about that matter because she will publish a report on behalf of the joint committee specifically on the youth guarantee. However, in terms of the Presidency, we are happy that we have moved forward on the issue.

The other issue about which we are very keen is enlargement. We were glad to see the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia last month. That means that the progression of Serbia towards accession has improved. We are hoping to open a chapter on Turkey before the end of next month. What is the mood in France towards Turkish accession compared to three years ago when it was considered unlikely to be agreeable? What are the delegate's views on the issue?

Enlargement was one of our priorities and we think we will get to the stage, thanks to the agreement of other member states, where we will be able to open up a chapter with Turkey.

In essence, our Presidency has been a lot of fun as well as a lot of hard work. We have managed to move forward on a lot of issues that were on our agenda. I should also have mentioned the CAP, which is very important for both France and Ireland. Our Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been working very hard on that issue. We are hoping to reach agreement on CAP reform before the end of our term.

We have a programme put together for COSAC and one of the key areas is enlargement. We will be talking about the Balkans, Iceland and Turkey. We will also have a session on development aid, to which NGOs and a number of philanthropists have been invited to discuss what Europe needs to do in this area, as one of the biggest aid donors in the world. Another session is planned to deal with the question of how to encourage more young people to engage with the EU. We have invited three young speakers from the Roma, LGBT and disabled communities to tell us what they expect Europe to deliver to them as citizens. We are looking forward to that session in particular. We also have a session planned on the future of Europe, at which Mr. Jacques Delors has agreed to speak, as has Ms. Viviane Reding. Mr. Delors, as our guests know, is a founding member of the Spinelli Group and a federalist. Ms Reding will be talking about political union, no doubt. Mr. Bill Cash from the UK Conservative Party will respond to the remarks of Mr. Delors and Ms Reding and we hope to have a very in-depth debate about political union and where member states see the future of Europe. A discussion between Mr. Delors, Ms Reding and Mr. Cash should make for a very stimulating and interesting event, which will take place in four weeks.

On the issue of the future of Europe, this committee is carrying out a study on the impact in Ireland of initiatives such as banking union, EMU and fiscal union, as well as the question of UK membership of the EU. Our guests will be aware that the British Government has announced that it will hold a referendum on continued membership of the EU if re-elected. If the UK chose to leave the union, that would have significant implications for us and we are examining what it might mean for us in the longer term.

I hope I have answered the majority of the questions raised. I have not dealt with the financial transactions tax issue because other committee members, such as Deputy Dooley, may want to deal with that, as well as the issue of climate change and Article 13. Senator Reilly will probably pick up on the issue of the youth guarantee.