Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 91, 126, 135 and 156 together. Ireland is satisfied with the outcome to the recent European Council which agreed a mandate for a forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference to finalise the proposed reform treaty. The mandate secured political agreement on a range of issues connected with the new treaty. The purpose of the Intergovernmental Conference is to turn this political agreement into a legal text that can be signed before the end of the year. We will approach the upcoming negotiations in a constructive manner with a view to creating an effective European Union that is equipped to serve the interests of our citizens and meet the many challenges facing Europe in the years ahead.

The new reform treaty, when it is concluded, will contain a series of important amendments to the Treaty on European Union and the treaty establishing the European Community. These amendments will be drawn very substantially from the draft constitutional treaty agreed during the Irish Presidency in 2004. The reform treaty will allow the Union of 27 member states to function more effectively. Its principal innovations will include a president of the European Council; a high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy and a newly constituted Commission.

The treaty will increase the influence of the European Parliament and also give an enhanced role to national parliaments, thus strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. It will introduce the use of qualified majority voting across a range of issues, which is necessary in a Union of 27.

Ireland fully supports the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which was a key feature of the draft constitutional treaty. The reform treaty will contain a clause confirming the legally binding status of the charter. When the UK delegation introduced a protocol at a late stage in the European Council negotiations, we considered it prudent to seek an opportunity to study its implications.

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