Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The French did not take the opportunity they were given to make a contribution. I do not doubt that public confidence in the European Union has been damaged. Perhaps it was somewhat premature to try to agree a European constitutional treaty almost in parallel with the assimilation of ten new member states into the Union. Having spent 16 months watching what Deputies Finian McGrath and Boyle and others have described as the European elite trying to get their way, I think there may be some validity in what is being said. While it is true that all the documents, etc. were available on the Internet, I do not think they became bedtime reading for citizens in Ireland or any other member state. While a great deal needs to be done to restore credibility in the European vision, it is still possible to do that. National parliamentarians like the Members of this House have a responsibility to do something to assist that process.

The European constitutional treaty, as it should be called, has been parked and it is unlikely that it will be resurrected in its current form in the foreseeable future. However, national parliaments should take some aspects of it on board. I was in the Chair last Thursday when Deputy O'Flynn, who is the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, spoke in this Chamber about the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005. Many of the Deputies who spoke about the Bill expressed amazement at the decision-making process that allowed the relevant EU directive or legislation to emanate from Brussels. This Parliament should do something about this.

The draft constitutional treaty provides that national parliaments should be informed about the origin of directives as soon as possible. We are talking about a six-week period. I do not understand why the Government and its EU partners cannot introduce such a provision at EU level, separate to the constitutional process. If such a provision were in place, Members would be unable to blame the so-called EU bureaucrats for something they know nothing about.

I have served with Deputy Allen on the Sub-Committee on European Scrutiny of the Joint Committee on European Affairs. Some directives were referred to the sub-committee after they had been ratified, which meant that the Oireachtas had no opportunity to examine them. Even when we were able to assess various directives, we did not have a great opportunity to make an input. I do not think the process has improved since then. We should examine this aspect of the matter.

It has been proposed on many occasions that we should try to improve the level of understanding of the debate on EU matters by introducing a European week in the Oireachtas. There is huge merit in the concept of debating in the House the wide range of issues which form part of the EU debate. I accept that the Sub-Committee on European Scrutiny of the Joint Committee on European Affairs does great work; there is no doubt about that. With the best will in the world, however, the media does not pay any great attention to the work of the sub-committee other than when the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, or the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Treacy, appear before it. The proposal I have mentioned would represent a way of doing something concrete about the lack of public understanding of EU matters.

There is a high degree of consciousness of EU matters among certain people in this country. I compliment the work of the National Forum on Europe which cannot be faulted for the level of energy it has shown in its efforts to ensure that people talk about EU issues. Young people from the National Youth Council of Ireland spoke about such issues in Dublin Castle some weeks ago as part of the process. Deputies like Deputy Finian McGrath and I, who come from a teaching background, spend a good deal of our time visiting schools. There is a greater awareness among young people of European issues now than there was. That is because young people travel, European issues are part of the transition year programme and organisations such as European Movement Ireland are able to provide awareness and training programmes on European issues. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for Foreign Affairs for securing a significantly increased contribution in this year's Estimates for European Movement Ireland. It will make a great different in increasing its capacity to make a serious input into debate on Europe.

As a small member state, our Presidency of the European Union was, by any standards, superb. The Department of Foreign Affairs officials, our diplomatic staff, the Ministers and the Taoiseach deserve to be complimented. Unfortunately, there has been a serious slowdown in the pace of progress. Perhaps that was inevitable but it is regrettable that the European Commission President does not always take a proactive role in ensuring that there is ongoing significant and wide-ranging debate on Europe.

We can talk about the reasons the Lisbon Agenda is beyond the understanding of most people. It is regrettable that when we talk about the Lisbon Agenda, we tend to talk about competitiveness and the influences of globalisation. The other side of that strategy, which is equally important, is the need for us to provide for those who are least able to provide for themselves and to ensure that the jobs of those who have them are protected and that they get better ones. The services directive derailed the debate on Europe throughout mainland Europe to a great extent and that was not addressed. The indications are that Commissioner McCreevy is now at least attempting to draw together the threads of that debate which were unravelling.

Despite what some people say, ratification of the constitutional treaty would significantly simplify the way that Europe works. In many respects whenever we revisit the question of the constitutional treaty, substantially the same measures will be contained in it.

I want to refer briefly to what Deputy Boyle said about the EURATOM treaty. Lack of progress on it was not for the want of trying. He will recall the work on it done by the Minister, Deputy Roche, and during the Intergovernmental Conference to try to reach consensus on the insertion into it of a sunset clause. I agree with what the Deputy said. We would not be in the lacuna in which we find ourselves if that had been addressed, although with the demise of treaty we would be back to square one as we are in other areas.

Ratification of the constitutional treaty will require us all to make an input by going around the country and persuading the persuaders that there is great deal in it to be gained by us all. People have referred to the greatly expanded customer base we would have, but I prefer to concentrate on issues such as the western Balkans. Whatever future there is for that part of Europe lies in the European Union being able to engage proactively in settling it down, for want of a better phrase. I do not want to divide further an already very divided part of Europe but I want to try to ensure that it can benefit from the same successes from which the rest of Europe has benefited.

This has been a useful debate probably more wide-ranging that we have had in a long time. The idea of European week might be explored on an all-party basis perhaps through the Joint Committee on European Affairs or some other mechanism. As a small member state committed to the European ideal, Ireland could significantly advance that idea. It would not be difficult to do that. With the exception of the member state next door which might not take on board such a proposal, I believe that otherwise it would be agreed with open arms.

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