Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

The recent so-called period of reflection has allowed debate on European issues to slide considerably. After a period of stagnation that ran on far too long, the latest moves towards agreement and consensus within the Union are welcome.

Angela Merkel, in her role as President of the European Council, deserves much praise for this. She was faced with a difficult task to reinvigorate and revitalise the agreement of a treaty that had presented the European Union with its greatest challenge in many years. In the face of considerable pressure, and with some states adopting hard stances on various issues, she has led the discussions that have forged a new agreement.

No one benefits from a European Union that is paralysed. The member states of the European Union depend on a Union that works together. The new agreement sets a course for that type of European Union once again, but the agreement hammered out last week is only a beginning of the journey towards this end.

When presented to the people in referendum, the new European reform treaty will not be simply waved through. Without a doubt, people are now happy to question what benefit there is for them in Ireland's continued membership of a Union that has changed dramatically since we first joined more than 30 years ago. This is as it should be. For too long, this Government has expected people to simply be in favour of the European Union without explaining to them the real need for Ireland's continued membership of this co-operative group of European countries.

There is now even more need for the Government to avoid lecturing people about the benefits of Europe, as has happened in the past. Instead, it should, as the leader of Fine Gael suggested, listen to their concerns at county, city and parish level. There are concerns about the capacity of the Union to accommodate future enlargement, the impact enlargement has had on people's quality of life and job security and the drift of jobs from west to east. The Forum for Europe and the Government have a responsibility to listen to and address people's concerns on those issues at grass roots level. If they fail to do so, they will repeat the errors of the past. I see the newly appointed Minister for Europe in the House and his presence gives some hope that things will be different on the next occasion.

Fine Gael is very supportive of Ireland's membership of the Union, and is happy to debate this at any time and place. We are also supportive of the reforms that are needed to ensure we continue to get the most from the Union, for the people of Ireland and the peoples of Europe. This is one of the reasons we have pushed, most recently in our general election programme, for an end to the wasteful trek from Brussels to Strasbourg every month. This squanders money, is damaging to the environment, and undermines the ability of the European Union to speak with authority on the very issues that it should be championing.

However, for a party such as Fine Gael, which has a strong pro-European stance, the current Government composition must be of concern. The Green Party will not be in a position to signal whether it supports the text until it consults its members. If its members are opposed will we see a divided Government on the issue? What chance is there for this treaty being passed if the Government itself cannot agree on the issue?

With regard to the name of the treaty, Ireland is already a signatory to a number of different constitutions, that of the World Health Organisation, WHO, being an example. There has never been a question that our signatory status to these constitutions would undermine Bunreacht na hÉireann. That said, I am broadly supportive of the change in the name of the treaty, as this matter can now no longer be used to cloud the debate which will surround the agreement of the treaty. The necessary reforms to underpin the effectiveness and efficiency of the European Union are of more importance that the name of the treaty.

However, a serious issue, on which there is popular misunderstanding, is that of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. I hope the clarification given by the Taoiseach this morning that Ireland has not obtained a derogation will get through to the public. Otherwise it undermines one of the great selling points of the treaty and will mean the Government faces a much harder job convincing the public to support it.

While political debate has been centred around the treaty in recent years, the development of a Single Market is not getting the attention it deserves. There needs to be a strong message from the major political parties to the effect that a more efficient and effective European Union is in everybody's interest and that being an active member of the EU has benefited Ireland greatly. The Green Party has surprisingly remained uncommitted to the treaty, which is strange because the party had two weeks of talks with Fianna Fáil before forming a Government. It would appear that the Green Party had no agreement to back this treaty which its members knew was imminent. This will be an early pressure point for the Government and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. It may make for embarrassing ambiguity in the future for Ministers from the Green Party and for the Government.

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