Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

Follow that, a Chathaoirligh.

I wish to talk about the consequences of the campaign for ratification of the Lisbon treaty. The European Union is an amazing institution that, in its growth and transformation, often gives rise to lengthy and complex documentation. One of the interesting things about this campaign for me was to peruse the Lisbon treaty in its entirety and realise the complexity and far-spanning reach of the document and the European institutions. The fact that everything from trade agreements with Greenland to the European Space Agency and the importation of petroleum by-products from the Netherlands Antilles can be covered within one comprehensive document shows the range and scale of the European Union.

Much was made in the campaign of concerns about the possible entry of new member states into the EU, with much emphasis being placed on the prospective entry of Turkey. It is worth taking a few moments to dwell on the possible benefits of the Union of reaching out not only to countries such as Croatia, which were mentioned by the previous speaker, but also to other countries to the east, whether Belarus or the Kaliningrad exclave. There are other areas that could benefit dramatically from social, environmental and economic links to the EU.

We must learn from the campaign. This is not a moment to gloat or be triumphant but to reach out to campaigners on the "No" side and realise that while some of the slogans were inflated, the concerns, for the most part, were genuine. We need to listen carefully to the voices that were raised on the "No" side and, in particular, reach out to those young people who were disaffected at best or, at worst, failed to engage at all with the EU. There is a lesson in this for the European Parliament, the Commission and indeed the Oireachtas. We should look to the success of the outreach programme of the Oireachtas, in which Members visit schools within their constituencies and engage with young people, responding to their questions and concerns. I hope that both the European Parliament Office and the European Commission Representation in Dublin will, if they are not already doing so, introduce a strong initiative to bring the EU into our schools, listen to the concerns of young people and point out the benefits of EU membership.

I emphasise the new importance of the European Parliament in implementing legislation within the EU. One of the things in the treaty about which I am enthusiastic is the stronger role that will be given to the European Parliament. I must also briefly mention the role of the Union in addressing environmental issues. Some people on the "No" side were quite dismissive, saying there were only five words about global warming in the treaty, namely "in particular combating climate change". However, those five words are contained with in a substantial section on the environment, which is followed by Article 194, dealing with energy concerns. Enshrined within those articles of the treaty are the principle that the polluter pays and measures affecting town and country planning and land use that have brought and will continue to bring benefits for the European Union. Under the citizens' initiative, one million signatories can bring forth initiatives to which the Union must pay attention. That in itself is important.

There is one side effect of Ireland's ratification of the Lisbon treaty that may sound small on the face of it but in fact will be quite significant for a woman named Amelia Andersdotter, a Swedish politician who was the second candidate on the list for the Pirate Party in the European Parliament elections last June. If the Lisbon treaty is fully ratified, she will be elected to the European Parliament by virtue of the change in voting rules. I am not in any way endorsing the platform of the Pirate Party, but she will be a strong, genuine and young voice within the European Parliament representing Sweden. I look forward to her taking her seat in the European Parliament.

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