Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

There is a crisis in regard to the implementation of the Lisbon Agenda. Does the Minister of State agree that the following is the basis of that crisis? In every country, particularly France and Germany, where it has come to the fore, there is a perception that the Lisbon Agenda — adopted in 2000, at its mid-term point in 2005 and due to be completed in 2010 — was a text carefully balanced between the two concepts of competitiveness and cohesion. There is dissatisfaction in many European countries with regard to the virtual abandonment of the cohesion element.

In the Taoiseach's speech to the Dáil and in the press release from the Department of the Taoiseach on 23 May, the word "competitiveness" occurs several times while the word "cohesion" occurs once. What is the significance of the two elements of cohesion and sustainability? They are regarded in the Taoiseach's text as complementary to the major issue of competitiveness, defined in the revised programme in terms of growth and jobs.

Is the Minister of State aware of the grave disappointment among the citizens of Europe at the abandonment of the cohesion element? Does he agree that in the statements made at the mid-term review and those made as late as last week, not a single coherent figure is given for the attainment of any of the cohesion elements, be it leaving school early, differences in income, differences in regard to the housing market and so forth?

The stress on competitiveness for inter-regional competition in a global economy is an attempt to deliver to the employers' side cheap labour and is at the same time a comprehensive betrayal of practically every element of cohesion aimed at reducing inequality, and also a betrayal of sustainability, which was aimed at ecological and environmental responsibility with regard to growth. In several countries across Europe, the cause of dissatisfaction is the tearing up of the cohesion element in the Lisbon accord. I say this as one who would support the Lisbon accord because of its balanced text.

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