Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

As a representative of a pro-European and pro-enlargement party, I fully support the provisions in this Bill. When we deal with this Bill, we must look at the background and its context. The referenda in France and in the Netherlands were a shock to the system. However, the results represented a warning signal that we could not take the people of Europe for granted. It was rightly decided to have a period of reflection, but I wonder whether we are reaching out to those people who have worries about the future of Europe and the direction it is taking. We should not have a smug attitude. We should not lecture people on how good we are doing in Europe. We should listen to their concerns and deal with them as they arise.

It is not a matter of glossy magazines, brochures or a single information campaign. We must convince European citizens that the issues we confront on their behalf will improve their quality of life and their standard of living. We must turn the European Union into a more democratic framework, ready to communicate with citizens and to deal with them in a realistic way, rather than in a patronising manner. Events of recent months have improved things and some of the decisions made relating to the EU budget, to European technology and to energy policy show that the European Union is on track despite the reversals. However, there is still a problem of communication and democracy. During the reflection period, we must listen to our citizens, our social partners, all of the political parties — irrespective of their opinions about Europe — the national Parliament and the local authorities, without prejudging the outcome of the dialogue and the debate.

Listening to the people I represent in Cork, I hear many things that concern me. If we had held a referendum in the past six months, I am not too sure that we would not have reached the same decision as that of the French and the Dutch. There are issues that worry people at the moment, such as the loss of industrial jobs on a weekly basis. People are equating that loss with a move of industry from the west to the east in the new Europe. It is not relevant whether people are right; we need to address their worries. The farming community, rightly or wrongly, believes that Europe is eroding its livelihood through the nitrates directive and other directives. People also question the ability of the EU to absorb enlargement to 25 and 27 states. I was in Macedonia a few weeks ago with the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and the people there feel it is only a matter of having an election in July and they will then be on board for further enlargement. The issue of Turkey will also be very difficult. People have concerns and the worst thing to do is to lecture them. We must listen and deal with those fears, explaining that such fears are groundless.

This Bill which amends the European Communities Act 1972 to allow for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union, is important. These two countries have been moving ever closer to membership of our Union in recent years, and have been taking steps to ensure that they will be ready to assume the responsibilities of membership when the time comes. This enlargement follows the historic enlargement which took place on 1 May 2004, when ten new member states joined the European Union. Recent reports from the European Commission indicated that the economic benefits that have accrued to these member states through their membership of the Union have also been echoed in other states such as Ireland. These reports confirm that the decision to allow the citizens from the ten member states the freedom to travel to work in Ireland has paid dividends to both Ireland and to these new member states.

Fine Gael has always been a pro-European and pro-enlargement party. The enlargement of the European Union offers Ireland, as well as all EU member states, considerable opportunities. By spreading the economic prosperity and stability of the EU throughout Europe more widely, the continued stability and growth from which we have benefited can be enhanced and maintained. Without any shadow of a doubt, Ireland has benefited hugely from membership of the European Union, economically, socially, and politically. Ireland's membership of a common market for goods and services has been critical in our recent successes, and following the last EU enlargement Irish exporters have had open access to new markets in ten European countries, allowing access to tens of millions of consumers.

Our membership of the Single Market has been the main factor in encouraging foreign direct investment — notably from the United States — upon which the Celtic tiger was founded. We have less than 1% of the EU population yet a quarter of all American investment in the EU is in Ireland. Those firms would not be in Ireland if it was not a part of the EU. Ireland's exports of goods and services amount to approximately 90% of GDP, a high proportion by international standards. The EU Single Market has allowed our export trade to grow and to diversify. It has weakened the traditional over-dependence upon a small number of markets which hampered growth so much in the past. In January 2006, Irish exports were worth more than €7 billion. This amounted to an increase of more than €700 million since January 2005. The value of Irish exports to a number of the newer EU member states showed strong growth over that 12 month period, especially to the Czech Republic and to Poland. The enlargement of the European Union enlarges the Single Market area. As a nation heavily reliant upon export markets, this is good news for Ireland as long as we seize the opportunities that enlargement presents.

Ireland's membership of the European Union is about much more than simple economics. Citizens of all member states continue to benefit from membership. The EU has been successful as a guarantor of rights and freedoms and we possess rights as EU citizens as well as Irish citizens. Irish people have not only benefited from the freedom to travel, work, reside and use a single currency throughout the EU, but also from recognition of their qualifications by other member states. Ireland's membership of the EU has helped us to challenge the inequalities that were endemic to our society. The principle that we are all equal, regardless of sex, has been advanced. The EU continues to bring forward equality directives designed to combat discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Ireland's membership of the EU has also helped us to realise our environment must be protected and that economic development can no longer equal environmental destruction. Substantial Structural and Cohesion Funds have helped to finance investment in infrastructure, education and training and in the production sector. EU reforms in areas such as deregulation have transformed the marketplace by helping to expand our economy and increase the value of our exports. These are tangible benefits which affect all of us on a daily basis and we should be aware of them.

When considering the course Ireland should take with regard to the European Union in future referenda, our citizens should consider these real benefits in making decisions on future treaties. Public benefits from Ireland's membership of the EU have not automatically accrued overnight. These benefits flow from the adoption of European treaties and the transposition of directives into Irish law. Unfortunately, the Irish Government lags behind other member states in this area. For example, the latest edition of the Internal Market scoreboard, a report which rates the speed at which EU member states implement Internal Market directives, ranks Ireland an unimpressive 19th for compliance out of the 25 EU member states.

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