Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Further to my earlier remarks on the 50th anniversary of the European Union, does the Minister anticipate any movement on extending the franchise to other EU member state citizens to allow them to vote in this country in all elections rather than in the limited number of elections, as is the case at the moment? What progress might he envisage in that regard and how soon might it be made?

As previously mentioned, the issue of using CFL light bulbs rather than the older less energy-efficient ones, mainly the incandescent light bulbs, was discussed at the European Council meeting. The Taoiseach said earlier that the Government was considering banning the use of the older light bulbs. Is that a competence within each member state or is it a competence that can be dealt with at European-wide level? What progress will Ireland make if it is a national competence and when might it come about? Will any change be made to eliminate or reduce the 66% import duty on CFL bulbs coming from China? What is to be decided by the Government in that regard?

I note the Minister said that economic issues are normally dealt with at the spring Council meeting and now it is climate change. However, the Stern report would probably indicate that climate change is the ultimate economic issue that Europe needs to address if we are to get through this challenge. As mentioned by Deputy Costello, when it comes to the German Government there seems to be a focus on targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Does the Minister envisage the Government adopting a targets approach along the lines of the Bill proposed by my party, the Climate Change Targets Bill? Has it been indicated to our EU colleagues that we will adopt a targeted approach or what indication has been given as to what Ireland will do to play its part in reducing 20% or 30% below the 1990 levels given that our levels are approximately 25% above the 1990 levels? What measures have our EU partners been given to understand will be put into effect in Ireland?

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