Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Despite or maybe because of what I have heard from Deputies Finian McGrath and Boyle, there has been a greater meeting of minds about the future of the European Union and the discussion on the European constitutional treaty in this debate than there has been in the House for quite some time. I do not doubt that the past 12 months have been quite traumatic and controversial for the European Union and the concept of further enlargement of the Union. Voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the constitutional treaty within days of each other. The sense of uncertainty that resulted from those referendums was compounded by the failure of the June European Council to reach agreement on the European Union's financial package. It is a great pity that it was not possible to reach such agreement. The uncertainty I have mentioned has been a feature of the UK Presidency. It is extremely unlikely that any significant progress will be made in the areas of budgetary procedure and financial perspectives in the near future.

I reject the view that the developments to which I have referred constitute a rejection of the European Union. I do not think that is what the Deputies opposite are saying, to be fair. It is time for us to listen to the wake-up call we have been given.

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