Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Is cúis áthais dom go bhfuil an deis seo agam freagra a chur faoi bhráid na Dála ar an ábhar an-tábhachtach seo, an tAontas Eorpach.

Just over a month ago I had the privilege of participating in a Seanad debate following the publication of the White Paper on the European Constitution, which is part of Ireland's engagement in an EU-wide period of reflection and national debate. That day I was struck by the depth of commitment and knowledge exhibited by Members of the Seanad. Today, it is clear that the same situation also applies in the Dáil.

It is evident from today's statements that there are differences among us. Some of these relate to macro issues such as the appropriate level of European integration while other concerns are more specific relating, for example, to particular economic or foreign and security policy issues. It is obvious too that there is one thing on which we all agree, whether we are pro-European Union, anti-European Union or somewhere in between. It is simply this: Europe really matters. It matters to every single person in Ireland, throughout the European Union, in our neighbouring countries and across the globe where many people view the European Union as a source of support and inspiration. Europe matters because every day brings new decisions and actions at a European level that impact positively on the lives of citizens and communities throughout Ireland and the European Union.

It has been said that although the European Union is critically important, we appear to only take it seriously when a crisis or a problem emerges and grabs our attention. The European Union makes the front pages when talks collapse, rows break out, or a national government has what is always described as a "dispute with Brussels". It is no wonder awareness levels are often low, while cynicism is frequently all too high.

As Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, my top priority is to raise awareness and communicate "with" rather than "to" the Irish people about what our membership of the European Union is doing for them. So much in our daily lives is better, thanks to the many measures agreed at a European level. A few tangible examples are lower telephone bills due to increased competition, compensation rights for delayed or cancelled air flights, food safety, environmental protection measures, free-to-air sporting events and free ATM withdrawals across the eurozone. This is not to mention the invaluable external work of the European Union around the world in the fields of foreign policy, trade and development, as outlined by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, earlier today.

These are the kinds of policies that cause people to say it is good that this is being done. They should give the people confidence in their legislators here in Ireland and in Europe. All of these policies have been negotiated in EU Councils by Irish Ministers and in the European Parliament by Irish MEPs. A record of up to 80 pieces of EU legislation was steered through under Irish leadership during our EU Presidency last year, most of them directly related to the Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives of sustainable growth leading to a more dynamic and competitive Europe.

As I stated, Europe matters. It is without question a force for good in our daily lives and one of the key catalysts behind this country's transformation in recent decades. However, one cannot be blind to the challenges ahead. I have already mentioned the first challenge, namely building and maintaining awareness, confidence and engagement on the part of our citizens. Already, our EU colleagues look to Ireland as an example to follow in this area, with our successful introduction of parliamentary scrutiny and the excellent work of Senator Maurice Hayes and the National Forum on Europe that operates throughout the country. The Communicating Europe initiative continues to develop with recent projects, including the provision of assistance to the National Adult Literacy Agency for the production of Know your EU learning materials.

With the publication of the White Paper on the European constitution, the citizens of this country have an opportunity to become more familiar with the EU constitution's provisions. I hope they will do so. On this and on EU issues in general, I appeal to those of us involved in political life, Members of the Oireachtas and members of local authorities, to inform and engage with all of the people who elected us to represent them.

As I stated in the Seanad, we need to foster greater awareness of the European Union in schools, third level institutions, business organisations, voluntary bodies and political movements. Another challenge for the European Union as a whole is the need to take tough, courageous decisions on the big issues facing the Union in the short to medium term. As the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, have outlined, one such decision will be on the financial perspectives for the period 2007-13. As has been mentioned, we will work for the best possible outcome for Ireland and for the European Union as a whole. I sincerely hope the Government will be in a position to report to this House next month that final agreement has been reached at the December European Council. That is our goal and our wish.

The enlarged European Union needs a deal now. This is of particular interest to the new member states which rely on cohesion funding to help drive their individual domestic economies forward. This point was brought home to me at many meetings of the cohesion countries where I represented Ireland, to underline our continuing commitment to the principles of economic solidarity which lie at the heart of the European Union. These include the protection, preservation and sustainability of the Common Agricultural Policy which is a real policy pillar of the European Union and will be critical to its farmers and our farmers in the years ahead.

The European Union and its member states have many challenges, some ongoing, some immediate. Our job as legislators is to represent our country and secure the best outcome possible. On behalf of the Taoiseach and the Government, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this important debate on the European Union in Dáil Éireann.

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