Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

In Lisbon five years ago, the Taoiseach and the other EU leaders pledged to make the EU the most competitive and dynamic knowledge driven economy in the world by 2010. They also pledged, by 2010, to make "a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty" in the EU. Midway in this project the EU, and certainly the Irish Government, has proven to be far off the mark. Despite the EU's wealth, 68 million people are living in poverty in the European Union. Despite Government claims that all is well and that we are the second richest state in the EU, Ireland has the worst rate of relative poverty in the EU 25. Some 250,000 children in Ireland are living in poverty, the highest rate in the EU 15. The gap between rich and poor in this so-called prosperous land of ours has widened since 2000, not narrowed. In the competitiveness rankings, we are no better. The neo-liberal economic policies advocated by the EU and enshrined in the failed EU constitution, favouring liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation, may be the policy path the PD-Fianna Fáil Government wishes to follow, but we should examine how these policies have attacked social cohesion. They have failed to achieve the Government's narrow-minded goal of raising Ireland in the competitiveness rankings. Ireland's international trade competitiveness has deteriorated since 2000.

The Government has an odd approach to countering this problem. When it is pointed out that Ireland has, once again, one of the lowest standings in the EU in infrastructure and social supports, the Government's argument is that our competitiveness would be harmed if such supports were given. A similar argument is made concerning environmental protection. When more stringent environmental measures are required for industry, the Government drags its feet in the name of competitiveness.

Last year, the enterprise strategy group told the Government that high environmental standards were a "competitive advantage", as well as being a "key factor in enhancing quality of life". Yet, we continue to be pulled into the dock by the EU for our failure to implement EU directives. While no pun is intended, I read in the newspapers that the EU has issued another warning over the failure to control pollution by ships. Five years ago the Government promised that legislation would be on the Statute Book to prevent such pollution, but no action has been taken.

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