Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I cannot understand that and do not know the reasons for it. Moving on to Deputy Durkan's position, in all fairness we lodged our national reform programme with the European Commission on 28 October 2005. The first year of progress will be reviewed between now and next October which is a short time span. Within the whole European project the Lisbon Agenda is critically important to creating the fiscal, financial and revenue resources necessary for a solid, cohesive Europe where the resources generated can be redistributed and transferred on a equitable basis to the different regions of Europe and the member states who require them, taking into account the different disparities to ensure equity for all and fairness in the system. From a competitor's and a cohesion point of view, the Lisbon Agenda has the economic instruments that will help deliver it into the future.

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