Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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I thank the ambassador for outlining the priorities of the Presidency. I have some questions and comments. I am glad to hear that Latvia will examine improving the functioning of the European Union. I spent yesterday in Brussels with my Latvian colleague,Ms Lolita Čigâne, and we discussed how we could improve the inter-institutional agreements between our countries and the role of national parliaments within the current treaty structure. Members will be glad to hear that at the COSAC in Riga in two weeks' time and in June we will discuss how we can improve the operation of the yellow card system and will have several proposals on how we can work within the treaties to do that.
Dr. Apals said the investment plan for Europe would be fast-tracked. That is good news for all of us and is something everybody on this committee would welcome. We had a presentation on it just before Christmas. One key part of the investment plan is to ensure that any expenditure is treated outside the fiscal compact limits. There was discussion across European capitals as to whether that would be universally acceptable. Could Dr. Apals advise us on the status of those discussion? Is there agreement on how we treat this additional capital investment?
Dr. Apals referred to his hopes for the eastern partnership. I understand there will be a summit in Riga in May. What does he hope to achieve regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine?
My final question concerns enlargement. He said he will look to ensure that the path to enlargement continues. Can he tell the committee his hopes for Montenegro and Serbia in regard to the opening of chapters? How does he see the Turkish application progressing over the next six months of the Presidency?