Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I agree we need to deal speedily with all of the various issues around putting major infrastructure in place in this country. As the Deputy is aware, we have the strategic infrastructure legislation but, as I said, the planning issues are under existing planning arrangements and we are where we are. However, we must examine all of this area and try to pull it together to a far greater extent than previously in terms of different consents being sought from various agencies or parties which are substantively the same and, if granted once, should be granted all the time rather than the delay in consequential consideration that comes into play with all these issues. That point is well made and we must try to resolve it. I will take up the matter with the relevant Ministers.

The Deputy raised an interesting point regarding common foreign and security policy issues. This was the first European Council held under the Lisbon treaty arrangements and the Swedish Presidency was anxious that the meeting would be held as per the new arrangements, that is, Heads of State and Government only. Foreign affairs Ministers were not in attendance. That led to a very good interaction. The size of the table and the physical aspect of it allowed for far better interaction but an issue arose as to how this would work in the future and the Presidency in office is to consider various views that were expressed on this matter by Heads of State and Government.

One of the ideas was that at least once a year the Heads of Government might have specific foreign policy issues on the agenda and would be accompanied by foreign Ministers in an outer circle, so to speak, while Heads of Government were at the European Council table. What is clearly emerging from the discussions and what I welcome is the idea that the Council would be more political in terms of its discussions rather than being the final layer of bureaucracy with all the various papers coming to the table from environment Ministers, finance Ministers and other Ministers. He makes the point that if we are to make the Lisbon treaty more relevant to the people, we must devise an economic strategy for Europe because all the social policy issues and everything else flow from the ability to have a well-resourced budget that can only come from an effective economy being in place, consistent with the principles outlined in the Lisbon treaty on the sort of economy it should be. That is a good idea.

On the question of conflicts in the world or major political issues about enlargement, Iran, Afghanistan or whatever, another idea was that on one occasion during the course of the year there might be a discussion on these issues, either informally or formally, at Council by Heads of Government in terms of developing policy rather than simply recounting the latest EU stated position in the conclusions. I welcome that idea because it indicates to me that the Council could well be an interesting place to be in the years ahead.

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