Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Ireland has a proud record in Europe and Europe has been good to us. We have received over €70 billion in aid over the years and this has benefited agriculture, roads, education, transport and almost every aspect of Irish life. We have paid approximately €19 billion to the EU so we have been net beneficiaries, something that is evident throughout the country.

My party, Fine Gael, has been active in Europe and, as a member of the biggest voting bloc, the European People's Party, has a proud record there. Our slogan in a number of European elections was "proud to be Irish in Europe", which we are, and we have provided some great advocates for Europe. Dr. Garret FitzGerald was the Minister for Foreign Affairs who led us into Europe and he was widely respected. The fact that he could speak French elevated Ireland to a new level because there was an impression that Ireland was a backward country. The leadership of Dr. FitzGerald in the Department of Foreign Affairs changed such attitudes to Ireland. He made a significant contribution, as did subsequent leaders, such as Mr. Alan Dukes and Mr. John Bruton, who is now the first EU ambassador to the United States. Mr. Bruton's appointment to that position was a great honour for him and the Fine Gael Party. Deputy Enda Kenny is vice-president of the European People's Party.

When ratified, the Lisbon treaty will be the sixth formal amendment to the founding treaties of the European Union in their 50 years of existence. It is worth recalling that the Irish Constitution has been successfully amended 23 times in its 71 years of existence. The amendments to the European treaties, including the Single European Act, the Amsterdam treaty, the Maastricht treaty and the Nice treaty, were all designed to make Europe an entity better equipped to meet the challenges of a changing world.

The number of member states of the EU has been successfully enlarged over the years from six to nine, 12, 15, 25 and 27, the current total. In the process, the EU has helped countries like Ireland and Denmark to catch up economically with their neighbours and has helped ensure the re-establishment of sustainable democracies in countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal; not long ago there was turmoil in those countries. The EU has brought countries such as Austria, Finland and Sweden fully into the European political family and has contributed hugely to the re-establishment of liberal parliamentary democracy and market economies in the ten newly independent states of central and eastern Europe. The EU is the largest aid donor in the world and leads the way in terms of action on climate change. It has established its own currency, now one of the strongest in the world, which is used by 13 of its member states.

The Lisbon treaty is the outcome of an extensive and open process that has gone on since December 2001. The process included a convention on the future of Europe that included not only national governments from member states but also representatives from national parliaments. There was real participation in this process by the European Parliament and the social partners. The convention was held in public and was accessible to the media and the public and it produced the proposals for the constitutional treaty.

The treaty we are now debating has, therefore, been thoroughly analysed over a lengthy period, not only by governments and members of national parliaments but also by a wide variety of other interests. In the process, almost every question that could be raised about its provisions has been raised and dealt with. Many accommodations and compromises have been reached, many of which have worked out well. What has emerged is an agreement unanimously accepted by the governments of the 27 member states. Countries are concerned about their sovereignty but we are all aware that there are many areas in which common and concerted action at EU level can offer more advantages to citizens than action at national level.

I will refer to the matter of obesity in passing because this is a major issue in sport and for the EU. This treaty will provide new direction on this epidemic that is sweeping through Europe and the world. All these considerations were carefully weighed up in the process of designing the current treaty text.

It is claimed that provisions in the treaty will prejudice our ability to retain our favourable corporate tax system and to promote Ireland as a destination for foreign direct investment. Answers to questions I have raised and the information that has been distributed to us show that none of these claims is true.

As spokesperson on defence for Fine Gael, I would like to discuss the treaty from that point of view. Speakers on all sides of the House have discussed such issues already. Claims that the Lisbon reform treaty threatens or undermines our neutrality are obviously inaccurate and misleading. None of these claims stands up to scrutiny. Some of the people opposing the treaty are credible and are concerned about our sovereignty but some claim we can be forced to take part in missions of which we do not approve. This is simply not accurate. We have a veto and we will still have a veto under the Lisbon treaty.

I confirm that the treaty explicitly includes a sentence that enables Ireland and other neutral states to avoid abandoning neutrality. The treaty states that nothing in the defence section shall "prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states". This means nothing in this treaty shall require any member state to breach their own neutrality. The amendment we are adding to the Constitution repeats, as in previous amendments, the existence of the triple lock. Involvement in any military role, therefore, must have the approval of the Government, approval from the Dáil, and the authorisation of the United Nations. That is a high bar strict standard that must be followed. We have and will continue to have a veto. We can and will, at any stage, say no to anything we do not want to go ahead.

Given that Europe has been good to us to date and that this treaty will strengthen our position within Europe that will make it more accessible to our citizens and will provide a charter of fundamental rights to our citizens which I am sure everybody wants. More people are looking to Europe for justice. This treaty enshrines that in law. For that reason I am very comfortable with the treaty and I hope it will be passed overwhelmingly by the people in June.

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