Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I wish to share time with Deputy Ó Snodaigh. The Lisbon Agenda, as first articulated at the original Lisbon summit, consisted of just two pillars, a knowledge-based economy and the need for social inclusion. The third pillar, added as an afterthought, possibly after the end of the Portuguese EU Presidency, was that of sustainable development. When we discuss that issue, it is usually thought of and talked of as an afterthought, but as far as the Green Party is concerned, the development of any society or economy which is not carried out in a sustainable manner is not worth considering.

The problem with the Lisbon Agenda is that it is predicated on a number of economic indicators which are themselves flawed. We know that the simplistic economic indicators of gross domestic product and gross national product can be made to rise under quite artificial circumstances. For instance, the number of road deaths is a contributing factor towards the growth of GDP in any economy and society. One of the real failures of the Lisbon Agenda has been its inability to come up with proper indicators as to how a society within the context of the European Union can be measured in terms of health, wealth and well-being. At the time of this mid-term review, it would be better for our Government, rather than engaging in self-congratulations, to engage in a real debate with its European Union partners to introduce these better types of measurements so that we can measure how well we are doing as a nation and how well the European Union is doing with its own goals.

The Lisbon Agenda puts forward a set of goals to be achieved by 2010. Unfortunately, in any EU-wide context, and even in an Irish context, many of these goals will not and cannot be reached, most importantly the need to increase research and development as a percentage of GDP. It is hoped to reach 3% at the European level by 2010. Currently, the Irish proportion, at 1.65%, is just over half that.

If in the next five years we reach the required level, that would put the types of increases some have us have been discussing with regard to overseas development aid into context. Overseas development aid is to increase from 0.4% to0.7%, a target which the Government says will be reached by 2012. That is only 0.3% of GDP, yet to achieve the necessary increases in research and development, we will have to increase our current investment by approximately 1.5% of GDP. That is a huge sum and one which I do not think this Government is prepared to bridge.

The unfortunate reality is that most of the research and development conducted in this country is carried out by companies which came here through foreign direct investment and not enough is being done by indigenous Irish companies. Unless we get the balance right, I fear that when 2010 comes, our real contribution to the Lisbon Agenda will be negligible.

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