Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 17, inclusive, together.

The Estimate for the Department of the Taoiseach includes a provision of €1.621 million for the ongoing work of the National Forum on Europe in 2007. The allocation for 2008 has not yet been finalised.

Since its establishment, the National Forum on Europe has provided the basis for an inclusive and broadly-based debate on Ireland's participation in the European Union, and the overall functioning and future development of the Union. As the forum is an independent body, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on its day-to-day operation or to comment on its likely future work programme. However, I am sure it will play a key role in the debate on the reform treaty in the run-up to the referendum.

In regard to the outcome of the June European Council, I made a statement to the House and answered parliamentary questions on its conclusions, including the reform treaty, on 27 June 2007. I refer the Deputies to the transcripts of those proceedings.

The June European Council agreed a mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference which provides for the renegotiation of the reform treaty. The reform treaty, which may yet be termed the Lisbon treaty, is an amending treaty and will not contain the constitutional phrasing and symbolism that featured in the 2004 treaty. At the same time, much of the substantive package remains unaltered from the draft EU constitutional treaty agreed in 2004.

The Government has supported the Charter of Fundamental Rights from the outset and would have been happy to have it retained in the body of the reform treaty. Unfortunately, it was not possible to secure a consensus on this. The charter will, however, have the same legal value as the treaties and apply to all areas embraced by the European Union and where the member states apply European Union law.

At the behest of the United Kingdom, a protocol to the charter was introduced at a very late stage in the negotiations relating to its scope in UK law. I considered it necessary and prudent to seek an opportunity to study the implications of it. We did not seek an opt-out from the charter, nor did we seek inclusion of a footnote in the draft mandate recording any reservations. We simply indicated that we wished to study the implications of the UK position. We are satisfied that the text of the charter and the wording included in the treaty adequately define the scope and application of the charter.

I attended the informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Lisbon on 18 and 19 October. I do not normally make statements to the House on informal meetings. However, given that the Intergovernmental Conference on the reform treaty also took place in Lisbon, I will make a statement to the House later today. I will at this stage merely give a summary account of its proceedings.

While there was some discussion of issues, including the allocation of seats in the European Parliament, discussions on the first day in Lisbon focused largely on the reform treaty. I am pleased to report that we reached agreement on the text of the treaty, paving the way for its signature at the December European Council. President Barroso made a presentation to the Council on the European Commission's recent communication on globalisation. The presentation provided the framework for a discussion on Europe's response to globalisation, which also touched on the recent instability in the financial markets and the international response to climate change. I had discussions with President Barroso on the margins of the informal meeting in Lisbon, mainly in relation to the reform treaty and the Irish referendum. He mentioned his intention of visiting Ireland again, something to which I look forward.

I met President Sarkozy in Paris on 21 September. During an open and productive meeting we discussed the reform treaty and a wide range of other issues on the European agenda, including agriculture and international financial issues. Later that evening the President and I attended the Ireland-France rugby match together.

On 22 September I officiated at the reopening of the old library of the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris. I also visited the Irish Embassy in Paris where I met the ambassador and her staff and inspected the magnificently restored reception rooms. This was part of an Embassy open day which a large number of people attended. Among those whom I met were the family of an Irishman who had gone missing in Paris and is, sadly, still missing.

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