Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Twenty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill. As Deputies are aware, the Bill authorises the holding of a referendum which, if approved, will permit the State to ratify the reform treaty signed in Lisbon by EU leaders last December.

The House has already heard many detailed speeches explaining both the content of the treaty and the myriad reasons we should approve its ratification. Together with my Government colleagues, I particularly welcome the constructive and thoughtful contributions from members of the principal Opposition parties. Both Fine Gael and Labour have been long-standing supporters of the European project and Ireland's position at the heart of the Union. The overwhelming support for the reform treaty in the House reflects a simple reality, namely, membership of the Union has been of immense benefit to this country. The reform treaty further strengthens the Union in important ways.

A number of outlandish claims have been made by opponents of the treaty. They have portrayed it as being inimical to our interests, of heralding the end of democracy as we know it and of transferring our sovereignty to unelected elites. These claims are false and reveal far more about those who make the arguments than they do about the content of the treaty. My Government colleagues have already explained in some detail exactly how our interests are protected and what the reform treaty's changes will mean in practice. I will not repeat all of these points. Instead, I wish to address one particular aspect of the reform treaty and of the Union's activities generally.

The area of development assistance encapsulates in many ways why Ireland is a member of the European Union and why, periodically, the Union must reform its working methods. No one country can solve the problems of the developing world. A multilateral and multifaceted approach is required. This is why we work very closely with our EU partners in assessing the best ways to disburse our aid budget. It is also the reason the Union must, from time to time, consider how best to organise its work as new challenges present themselves. I am very confident that the reform treaty will be a positive step for overseas aid and will enhance the policy environment in which we carry out our development activities.

Before proceeding further, I wish to provide some background information. The European Union has an impressive record in overseas aid. It and its member states are the largest development assistance donors in the world. In 2007, total European Union overseas development assistance amounted to €47 billion. This is approximately €95 per head in respect of the Union's 500 million citizens. Not only is the EU the world's biggest donor, it is also leading the global effort to increase aid flows to developing countries and to reach the millennium development goals. No other country or international organisation has shown the commitment required to mobilise the enormous resources needed to lift the world's poorest citizens out of poverty and no other body has the practical experience gained from its own process of enlargement and social cohesion to understand the true nature of the development challenge facing the world.

The EU is delivering more money, better aid and more coherent policies in order to support the efforts of partner countries to achieve the millennium development goals. A strong EU voice is required on the international stage in order to sustain the momentum towards achieving the millennium development goals.

The European consensus on development, agreed by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission, underpins EU development policy. The primary and overarching objective of EU development co-operation is the eradication of poverty. The consensus affirms this primary objective and also underlines the principles of good governance, human rights, partnership, peace and democracy.

With specific reference to Africa, which is the main focus of Ireland's development programme, at the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon in December 2007, an EU-Africa joint strategy was adopted. This will forge a closer, more strategic partnership between Europe and Africa. Last night, I had the pleasure to host a reception marking 40 years work by Concern in developing countries. It was significant that the chief executive of that organisation spoke highly of the work of Europe in Africa. The European Commission can reach parts of Africa that are beyond the reach of small member states such as Ireland. We must work with our partners in order to be effective and I am convinced that Europe's role has been exemplary in partner countries.

The European Union is also a committed advocate of helping the world's poorest countries to take full benefit from the world trading system and is committed to spending €2 billion per annum on aid for trade by 2010. Equally, it has incorporated into its programmes measures to support developing countries as they face the challenges of climate change, food security and sustainable development.

The European Union is at the forefront of the aid effectiveness agenda. The EU code of conduct on complementarity and division of labour in development policy approved last year will ensure that the aid efforts of member states and the European Commission are more in harmony and do not duplicate one another. EU development co-operation is increasingly targeted at areas where the Union offers the most efficient delivery of aid in the most cost-effective way.

It is important to reiterate that the primary objective of European Union development policy remains the eradication of poverty. It is good to see this explicitly brought out in the reform treaty. Ireland has consistently played an important part in supporting the European Union's development co-operation efforts, through both its contributions to the policy debate and its financial contributions to the European Development Fund. The tenth European Development Fund will cover the period 2008 to 2013 and will amount to almost €23 billion.

Ireland plays a constructive role at European level, using its place at the EU table to push for action and to encourage its partners to focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where 41% of people still live on less than $1 a day. Working together with Africa to advance its development is a cornerstone of EU development policy and complements our own efforts through our bilateral aid programme.

At a national level, Ireland's development assistance programme is going from strength to strength. Last week, it was announced that overseas aid from Ireland reached its highest ever level at €869 million in 2007. This exceeded the Government's interim target of 0.5% of gross national product, GNP. Ireland remains committed to spending 0.7% of GNP on overseas aid by 2012. Ireland is the sixth largest donor of development assistance in the world in per capita terms. While always striving to continue with improvements, this is something of which we are rightly proud. These figures demonstrate, in a practical way, Ireland's solidarity with the world's poorest and also show our ongoing, steadfast commitment to the fight against poverty. Ireland continues to focus its development assistance on the least developed countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, and we have also given a special priority to the fight against HIV-AIDS.

Ireland must continue to work with other EU member states to ensure that all efforts are made to achieve the millennium development goals. I am convinced that the ratification of the reform treaty will allow the EU to work more efficiently and effectively in this regard. The treaty provisions will help the EU to act with greater unity and coherence on the world stage because the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will also be vice-president of the European Commission with responsibility for external relations. This will ensure that development co-operation is taken into account across all of the EU's external actions and will also lead to greater coherence towards countries in situations of conflict and fragility. The proposed new external action service will also present opportunities for member states and the Commission to work more closely together, with the shared objective of poverty reduction.

Overall, the reform treaty will allow the European Union to act more coherently in the area of development co-operation. The importance of an effective joining up of policies cannot be overstated. The treaty will simplify decision-making processes and strengthen democratic accountability. It will not bring about radical changes but it will allow the European Union to act more effectively on the world stage.

I briefly adverted earlier to the periodic need for reforms of the EU's structures. There is no great mystery to this. The European Union began some 50 years ago with six member states. The founding members were, as it turns out, immensely far-sighted in creating structures and working methods that facilitated the development of a hugely successful intergovernmental and supranational organisation that has grown to encompass 27 member states and has deepened and extended the areas of co-operation. However, they could not anticipate exactly how Europe might develop over the succeeding half century.

It is entirely logical that the member states should, from time to time, examine whether our working methods and structures can be improved. The institutional issues addressed in the reform treaty were in fact the subject of debate since before the Amsterdam treaty in 1997. It took some considerable time to reach final agreement, given that they touch on areas which are sensitive for all member states. Now that we have reached agreement, there is a wide consensus that there will be no further change in the institutional area for many years to come.

Negotiations among 27 sovereign states are, of their nature, complex and difficult. When the subject is agreeing precise structures and procedures governing co-operation in complex areas, such as justice and home affairs or external relations, naturally the language of agreement can be difficult for the non-expert. Nevertheless, the reform treaty — true to its name — simplifies many aspects of the work of the Union. It also very helpfully clarifies the competences enjoyed respectively by the Union and member states, along with areas in respect of which there is a shared competence. In addition, it introduces language explaining, in crystal clear terms, that on which the Union's policies and activities are based. In the external relations sphere, for example, Article 1.24 states, "The Union's action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have inspired its own creation: democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter". The article continues:

The Union shall define and pursue common policies and actions, and shall work for a high degree of co-operation in all fields of international relations, in order to ... foster the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty; assist populations, countries and regions confronting natural or man-made disasters; and, promote an international system based on stronger multilateral co-operation and good global governance.

These principles and objectives chime exactly with our national perspective on development and international relations generally. Clearly setting them out in the reform treaty will assist any citizen who is interested in understanding the basis for activity at European level.

As I mentioned, the reform treaty, as is the norm for such treaties, amends existing EU treaties. It is thus not always easy to read it in isolation. This is why the Government has produced a comprehensive White Paper explaining the contents of the treaty in a clear and accessible way. We have also produced a summary guide to the treaty which will be distributed to every household in the country over the coming weeks. Separately, the Referendum Commission will provide impartial information to the public explaining the subject matter of the referendum. This and a wealth of other material available in hard copy and on-line mean that the voting public will be as well informed as possible by the time the referendum takes place. I am fully confident that the Irish people, who have always embraced our future in Europe, will recognise that our interests lie in continuing to play a central role within the Union and will give a clear "yes" vote on 12 June.

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