Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Táim ag iarraidh mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Tomás Ó Broin as Contae na Mí.

Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam labhairt ar an ábhar seo sa Dáil. Tá súil agam go nglacfar leis an gconradh um athchóiriú mar go gcreidim gurb é leas phobail na hÉireann é. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address this subject in the Dáil. It is my hope the EU reform treaty will be passed because it is in the best interests of the people.

Let me outline briefly some of the reasons the reform treaty should be accepted. My reasoning will not be comprehensive due to time constraints. A fundamental reason is that the treaty deals with the issue of informing national parliaments of proposed legislation. This does away with the problem that arose when there was a sense that regulations were being passed in the European Union without national parliaments or the public being aware of their details.

The provision for the equality of representation in the Commission is being preserved. This protects our vital interests and ensures the parity of all nation states in the European Union. Under the early treaties, the larger states had greater representation in the Commission but this will not be the case in the future.

The pivotal role of the Council of Ministers is also consolidated by the reform treaty. Again, this is in our vital national interest. In Article 1.3, the treaty clearly sets out for the first time the aims of the European Union:

The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between men and women prevail.

It is very important that the Union set out its stall in this way. Article 1.3 plainly demonstrates its objective of advancing the well-being of the peoples of Europe.

One provision in the reform treaty is of particular relevance to my work as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the work of my Department. I have seen very little comment on this matter to date. As the White Paper states, the treaty provides special recognition for areas that suffer from particular challenges, "Among the regions concerned, particular attention should be paid to rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition, and areas which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, such as the northernmost regions with very low population density, and island, cross-border, and mountain regions." This very much mirrors the work of my Department in respect of urban areas experiencing industrial transition, rural areas, the islands and those areas facing physical or demographic handicaps. I am delighted the treaty recognises there should be special treatment for these areas. What is in the treaty very much mirrors all the Department's programmes such as RAPID and CLÁR and the commitment to the islands.

The European Union is totally committed to rural development in its wider sense, in addition to being committed to agriculture. The Union takes a wide view of rural development as total community development. Within pillar 2 alone of the European rural development programme, €2.4 billion is set aside for a range of rural development measures over the period 2007 to 2013. My Department's new rural development programme will see an investment of almost €1 billion, three times what it was previously, in measures to develop rural enterprise and quality of life through a combination of EU and State funding, matched by private sector resources, in the period to 2013. Commissioner Fischer Boel has been particularly committed to preserving and developing rural populations across Europe. Everybody recognises this is a core policy of the Government.

People in Ireland are justly proud of the role this country has played in peacekeeping since the early 1960s. The proposed treaty clearly allows us to continue with our traditional international peacekeeping role. This is further cemented by the provision in the Bill which specifically provides, as did the referendum Bill on the second Nice referendum, that Ireland cannot become involved in a common defence arrangement without further reference to the people by way of a referendum.

The treaty is unique in one other way. Thanks to the universal support of all Members and parties in the Dáil — I include Fine Gael, represented today by Deputy Creighton, and also Sinn Féin, represented by Deputy Ó Caoláin — and due to the efforts of the Taoiseach since the last treaty was passed, the Irish language has become an official and working language of the European Union since 1 January 2007. It has the full support of all other member states. The reform treaty reflects this fact and is the first European Union treaty that recognises our national language on a par with all of the other official languages of the Union. I am slightly disappointed that Sinn Féin cannot join us in supporting this momentous step forward where our language, in the immortal words of Robert Emmet, takes its place among the nations of the world.

Unfortunately, ní fheiceann siad an bealach sin. Is maith agus is ceart an rud é go mbeadh díospóireacht ar an gconradh seo. Má scrúdaítear é agus má thógtar san áireamh gur conradh é a n-aontófar idir 27 tíortha, is soiléir nach féidir a bheith ag súil go mbeidh gach rud ann ar an mbealach ar mhaith le chuile dhuine é. San iomlán, tá i bhfad níos mó ann atá chun tairbhe na hÉireann thar mar atá sa chonradh atá ann i láthair na huaire. Mar a dúirt mé i mBéarla, sílim go bhfuil na foráileacha ann a bhaineann le dul i gcomhairle leis na parlaimintí náisiúnta roimh a thugtar isteach rialacháin agus moltaí eile san Eoraip thar a bheith tábhachtach. Ba easnamh é sin sna conarthaí éagsúla a bhí againn roimhe seo.

Chomh maith leis sin, tá soláthar speisialta ann do na ceantair is mó agus is boichte san Eoraip. Is rud an-dearfach é sin, chomh maith leis an tacaíocht atá á thabhairt d'fhorbairt na tuaithe. Bhí buairt ann cheana maidir le cúrsaí cogaidh agus míleata. Ar nós an Bhille a cuireadh faoi bhráid an Tí seo nuair a bhí an dara reifreann ar bun faoi chonradh Nice, tá soláthar sa Bhille seo a dhéanann cosaint ar an gceist sin agus a dhéanann cinnte nach féidir muide a bheith páirteach i gcosaint comónta san Eoraip gan reifreann eile a ghlacadh.

Tá an conradh seo difriúil ar bhealach bhunúsach ó aon chonradh eile a chuireadh os comhair an Tí seo ón bhliain 1973. Don chéad uair, sa chonradh seo de bharr obair an Rialtais agus obair an Taoisigh agus tacaíochta chuile pháirtí sa Teach, tá an Ghaeilge aitheanta mar theanga oifigiúil oibre san Eoraip. Is rud thar a bheith dearfach é sin. Cinnte, cuidíonn sé go mór leis an teanga. Tabharfaidh sé seasamh fé leith di agus fáiltím roimhe sin. Cuireann sé gliondar i mo chroí a fheiceáil sa chonradh seo go bhfuil an seasamh seo á thabhairt don Ghaeilge agus nach mbeidh muid as seo amach in áit na leathphingne.

Ar na cúiseanna sin ar fad agus ar go leor cúiseanna nach bhfuil am agam a lua, molaim an Bille seo don Teach. Tá súil agam, ní amháin go nglacfar anseo sa Dáil leis, ach go nglacfaidh muintir na hÉireann leis ar 12 Meitheamh.

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