Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

As always, Deputy Higgins raises a number of interesting issues. Competitiveness and cohesion are linked in that if we do not have one element, we will not have the other. It is critically important that we maintain our competitive edge while being able to have a cohesive operation. The Lisbon Agenda is of critical importance to citizens throughout the European Union. It was reviewed last year and has been successfully relaunched with a focus on growth and jobs.

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