Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

That is a question. While only the Netherlands and Belgium raised any concerns, I understood the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, was concerned and I thought the Taoiseach might be as well.

On the question of nuclear power, I was also surprised to read in the newspapers that following the majority of EU leaders backing nuclear power, only Germany and Austria explicitly rejected the nuclear option. Does the Taoiseach have anything to say on that, given his statements here in the House domestically, whatever about internationally?

Will the Taoiseach clarify the statement on energy consumption? It is not clear whether the statement refers to an average or to each member state, but it says that the summit endorsed the notion of an EU plan to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020 along with a target of raising the current 6% of primary energy use provided by renewables to 20% by the same date. Given that Denmark is aiming for 50% of energy from wind, for example, does the statement refer to an average for the EU or is each member state undertaking a separate commitment on that basis? If it is an average, it gets Ireland off the hook whereas there are significant opportunities in Ireland. Will the Taoiseach harness those opportunities or will Ireland, as in the case of Kyoto, be the bad boy in Europe and use the average to get over the finishing line?

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