Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Fáiltíonn Sinn Féin roimh roinnt de thorthaí na díospóireachta ar bhuiséad na hEorpa. Cuirimid fáilte ach go háirithe roimh chinneadh an chruinniú mullaigh sin €200 milliún a chur ar fáil don chlár oibre síochána III, nó PEACE III. Rinne mo pháirtí, agus mo chomhghleacaí, Bairbre de Brún, MEP, ach go háirithe, a lán oibre le cinntiú go mbeadh a leithéid d'airgead ar fáil. Tugann an cinneadh sin aitheantas don obair luachmhar atáá déanamh ag a lán grúpaí pobail timpeall na tíre, ach go háirithe ar an Teorainn, atá ag obair i dtaca le síocháin a thógáil, ag tabhairt faoin idirdhealú atá ann agus ag cur athmhuintearais náisiúnta chun cinn. Is é an dúshlán atá ann, ar ndóigh, ná a chinntiú go mbeadh an t-airgead seo dírithe i gceart ar na ceantair is mó ganntanais.

Sinn Féin is relieved that the CAP will remain unaltered until 2013, provided the Government is willing to use its veto to ensure it. However, with regard to the question of rural development, the party remains of the opinion that the issue has been and still is conceptualised too narrowly at EU level. Sinn Féin believes the budget discussions would benefit from employing greater and broader understanding of the concept of rural development, to fully encompass issues such as rural regeneration or rejuvenation to replace declining agriculture. Some of the ideas expressed in the House, such as those of Deputy Quinn concerning the Bord na Móna lands, were imaginative. As far as agriculture is concerned, such thinking will be needed in the future.

I wish to express Sinn Féin's disappointment with regard to the overarching focus on the financial perspectives in this debate. An opportunity has been missed, whereby a commitment to emphasise spending on social protection and the environment could have been, but was not, achieved. This reaffirms the party's belief that the social inclusion aspect, along with the environmental consideration of the Lisbon Agenda, amount to little more than window dressing.

The complete lack of transparency surrounding the workings of the Council is of grave concern to Sinn Féin. How are people to know exactly what was prioritised by the Government's representatives during the negotiations? Only this week, a report from the EU's own ombudsman was highly critical of the Council's opaqueness. Is addressing this undemocratic reality a priority of the Government and if so, how will it ensure the Council becomes more transparent? Secrecy facilitates abuse of basic human rights and the secret agreement between this State and the United States concerning security measures for the protection of classified military information demonstrates that point all too well. I call on the Government to demand an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss the issue of extraordinary renditions, including the role undertaken by each member state in respect of this illegal practice, as well as to finalise a binding agreement committing member states to co-operate fully with all investigations into this matter and to take every possible measure to stop the practice of extraordinary renditions. In the interests of transparency and accountability, discussions of this meeting should be in the public domain and open for all to see.

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