Ms Suzanne Lynch:

This is going to be an issue in light of the hue of the new European Parliament. Even the right-wing parties are economically nationalist and anti-globalisation. We are into this whole issue. The investigation into tax in Ireland and two other countries, which was launched a few weeks ago even though tax is not within the remit of the European Union, is setting a precedent that Europe can get involved by examining different tax structures. It has to be said that this issue is by no means confined to Ireland. There is now a focus on patent boxes. Nine countries, including Britain, are being investigated for the use of a specific technique that allows companies to pay less tax on activities involving patented inventions. Some of these issues will be on the agenda in the next five years.
I was interested to hear what was said about the consensus between the EPP and the S&D. They said in the press release they issued yesterday that they hope "to find a lasting solution to the crisis not based on the policies of the past". This might be a bit optimistic for some people. I envisage that there will be a new discussion about the policy of austerity. Last weekend, Francois Hollande held a mini summit of left-of-centre leaders, including the Italian, Austrian and Danish premiers, at which they decided to back Jean-Claude Juncker. It appears that Italy, in particular, is pushing for greater flexibility on the debt and deficit targets set by Brussels. Ireland is talking about providing for cuts of €2 billion in the budget in the context of the rules imposed by Brussels. That conversation is also taking place in other countries, including much bigger countries like Italy and France that are under big pressure to meet their debt targets. The Italian debt-to-GDP ratio is huge.
Perhaps all of this can be seen as positive in the sense that the European Parliament is more likely to hold the Commission to account for its economic policies, many of which were launched as crisis mechanisms. It seems that all parts of the European Parliament are hoping to shift the emphasis away from fiscal consolidation to investment. When Herman Van Rompuy circulated a letter to leaders before Thursday's summit setting out the priorities for the next five years, he spoke about things like public disenchantment with the EU, the need for renewal and the need for investment. That could be a kind of trend we see over the next five years as a way to connect with the proportion of voters who are disillusioned.
I think we will all agree that people in Ireland did not vote on the basis of the spitzenkandidatsystem, even though Jean-Claude Juncker was elected in Ireland. It was a big issue in Germany, however. I know German and Austrian journalists in Brussels who are heavily in favour of this system. It has been suggested that this is because Martin Schulz is German and Jean-Claude Juncker is fluent in German. One can imagine that we would probably have been a bit more engaged if there had been an Irish candidate. The system was also backed in France, where Francois Hollande was a strong supporter of Martin Schulz. Some of the bigger powers are behind the spitzenkandidatsystem. I suppose it is only natural. Given that we have just 11 of the 751 MEPs, Ireland is lucky to continue to have huge influence in Brussels. The big issue at the moment for the east European countries is Russia, Ukraine and gas. Obviously, we are geographically far removed from it. This will be a big issue for many countries in the next five years. Issues like energy and foreign policy could end up becoming the crucial centre of gravity in EU decision-making in the years to come. They could replace the economic story. Our MEPs who are starting their new five-year terms will need to have views on all of these matters. These issues - not water charges, unfortunately - will be to the fore in the coming years.