Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs
Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion
2:30 pm
Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The Narrow Water Bridge project is a key component of that, which symbolises the unity of people rather than the divisions between them. That initiative is also important for opening up tourism in that region.
The European Commission has requested changes to budget 2014 after it has been approved by the Oireachtas in October. It is a worrying development, particularly given the extent to which the Commission has been driving the troika's austerity programme. Can the Minister of State outline the timeline for this potential interference in our budgetary process by the Commission? Can he guarantee that any changes proposed by the Commission will revert to the Oireachtas for discussion? Can he outline what the procedure would be if there was a disagreement between the Government and the Commission over the proposed budgetary changes demanded by the latter?
The Minister of State is right about the language being used, including terms such as "six-pack" and "two-pack". People just switch off when they hear that. We do need to engage young people about what happens in Europe but we also need to bring it home to them in their own communities and make it relevant to their lives.