Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

It is not. According to the amendment, services are important as a component of GDP and employment in the EU. It is worth noting that Ireland is the 14th largest per capita exporter of services in the world, that its share of world services increased significantly from 0.38% in 1993 to 2.2% in 2004 and that its employment and export growth in high value added internationally traded services activities has offset reductions in manufacturing. When one strips away the rhetoric from Deputy Harkin's remarks, one will find that she agrees it is in Ireland's interests, in areas like employment prospects, trade opportunities, consumer choice and welfare enhancement, that there should be an open Single Market in services in Europe. Various European economic institutes and Forfás, in its impact assessment, have highlighted the benefits of opening the EU services market. Technical progress has been made on some aspects of the draft directive, to ensure that standards, especially of employment conditions, are generally protected, while seeking to ensure that the benefits of opening the EU services market are attainable, which is more or less what Deputy Eamon Ryan said when he spoke about opening the market while protecting the social model. Over the coming months, the European Commission is expected to introduce amendments to the draft directive. The amendments will be considered with an open mind, in full consultation with stakeholders, with the objective of securing the optimum outcome for Ireland's and Europe's economic and welfare interests, including the protection of employment standards.

I welcome the opportunity afforded us to debate the proposed framework directive on services. It is just a proposed directive. Anybody who has been watching this in recent months knows it is work in progress and that there will be substantial change and amendments to the directive before it ever sees the light of day. Commissioner McCreevy reiterated that last week.

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