Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I come to the debate as a member of the Forum on Europe and I pay tribute to Dr. Maurice Hayes and the secretariat and the forum members for the fantastic, innovative work they have done in the past few years. Deputy Rabbitte and other previous speakers referred to the lack of connectivity among Irish people to Europe and European issues. We should respect the fact the forum has done its level best to try to address that lack of information over many years.

I welcome the reform treaty and particularly the decision to drop the title of constitution. That was a major issue for people and while there is a lack of connectivity with Europe and European law, there is an attachment to our own Constitution. It would have been wrongly argued in any forthcoming referendum debate that this would supersede our Constitution, rather than complement it. For the sake of selling the treaty next year, this is an important development.

The reform treaty is necessary to begin the process of resolving and tidying up the institutions, which over the course of enlargement have become so unwieldy that they are adding to the lack of interest in European issues. I disagree with my colleague Deputy Mansergh. I fully support the work of the Government in trying to pursue the maximum representation in the European Parliament. We have been very well served by our MEPs over the years, especially those who respected their mandate. They do great work in trying to connect people to Europe and European activities and the fewer we have, the harder that job will be. I support the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, in his efforts on behalf of the Government.

I also agree with the creation of a figurehead for the European Council. It is a great national privilege and an honour, although lost on the general public, to host the EU Presidency. However, it does not improve the work of the EU that every six months there is a different figurehead or face. The EU could have a chance to be a world leader in a range of issues such as climate change and in peace talks in different parts of the world, and a Council position backed by a member state that is there over a two and a half year period has a better chance of making an impact on behalf of the Union. That is a position we should support.

The enhanced role for national parliaments is also welcome. However, we need to use this role by uniting with other parliaments on areas in which the Union has gone askew. I refer particularly to state aids. Rural services that are provided by the state should be maintained. If we are to maintain rural populations and rural communities, the state will have to play a role in the operation of post offices, health care or transport. The state aid rules are often used against the ability to maintain state services in rural communities. The time has come for a Europe-wide campaign to ensure state aid rules within the EU are not used to denude rural populations and services. That issue will be particularly big in the coming months.

The referendum next year gives us a chance to put our support for the EU on the table. The Union has made such a difference to this country in ways that have been referred to by previous speakers. We would not be anywhere economically or socially were it not for the impact of the Union and we have a chance next year to show our support for that. It is slightly petty of those on the other side of the House, particularly the Fine Gael speakers, to criticise the Government and my party's role in Europe. After all, this is the party that established the Forum on Europe, boycotted initially by Fine Gael, the so-called champions of Europe. I pay tribute to Deputy Kenny for reversing that decision. When we reflect on the role of the Taoiseach and of the Minister of State in pursuing the original treaty that provided us with the foundation for this, it speaks volumes of this party's commitment to Europe.

I look forward to a constructive debate on this, although I suspect there are some who will use it to have a go at all sorts of European law which has nothing to do with the treaty. However, that is always the way it has been.

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