Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

On behalf of the Fine Gael party, I welcome the introduction of this motion and note that Fine Gael will support it. It is both interesting and heartening to be working on the implementation of certain aspects of the Lisbon treaty, having waited for so long for it to become part of our domestic law. In common with other Members, I campaigned vigorously for a "Yes" vote in both Lisbon referendums and was strongly of the view that signing up to Lisbon would be of great assistance to Ireland in many ways, including, as the Minister noted, dealing with the security challenges of the 21st century.

While Ireland has chosen an opt-out, by virtue of Protocol No. 21, from the European Union justice and home affairs measures, it rightly has expressed its wish to opt-in to the maximum extent possible. In this regard, the establishment of COSI, which was provided for under Article 71 of the Lisbon treaty, is a basic measure and Ireland should play a full role in the committee's deliberations and should designate a nominee or nominees with appropriate experience and expertise to participate in the committee's work.

COSI has a great deal to offer Ireland in assisting it to identify and meet the standards of international best practice regarding operational matters in the field of internal security. While it may be regrettable that the committee does not enjoy any mandatory or mandating powers, member states should recognise the value of accepting the committee's periodic recommendations and implementing them as part of their domestic law in an efficient manner as they arise.

I assume the committee's regular reports to the Council will focus member states' minds in respect of implementing recommendations, particularly as the Council will, in turn, keep the European Parliament and the national parliaments informed on the proceedings of the committee. It is absolutely essential to have clear channels concerning the various arrangements or protocols to prevent many of these reports from ending up on rather circuitous routes with different committees from national parliaments to the European Parliament and back again.

The primary role of COSI is to "facilitate, promote and strengthen co-ordination of operational actions of the authorities of ... Member States competent in the field of internal security". I am particularly pleased that, as the Minister noted, the committee will do more than examine criminal matters such as combating terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, people trafficking and immigration matters, although they will be its primary focus, as it will also have a role in civil protection in emergency situations. Ireland has had its fair share of civil emergency situations in recent months and ongoing water shortages indicate it still is in the grip of what could be described as an emergency situation. I understand that COSI is to have an important role to play in evaluating existing measures in member states, as they are set up or equipped, to deal with emergency situations and make appropriate recommendations. An example might be a recommendation that would suggest or direct as to which agency should play the lead role, should an emergency situation arise.

Ireland certainly could have done with such an input during the recent flooding and snowfalls, when something of a crisis developed, however short-lived. My constituency was badly affected by winter flooding and snow. I refer in particular to the west Offaly region, which was devastated when the River Shannon breached its banks yet again. Thousands of acres of farmland were destroyed and remain under water to this day. In recent times, some parts of Offaly have been under water for most of the year due to summer flooding in the months from June to September, inclusive, followed by winter flooding, which as recent experience demonstrates, begins at the end of October and continues right up to March. The victims of this flooding feel completely isolated and abandoned to their fate.

During the recent flooding in west Offaly, buildings became uninhabitable and businesses were destroyed. In places such as Banagher, Shannon Harbour and Shannonbridge, the ground floors of residential houses and businesses were under water for days on end and no agency stepped forward to take control of the situation. A total of 12 Departments and agencies have a direct interest in the Shannon and I have little doubt but that were COSI to examine the issue, it would discern a clear need for all such agencies to come together to agree a plan for the maintenance of the River Shannon. While the Office of Public Works should be the lead agency, this does not appear to be the case. Although the agencies may have different interests, the primary focus and interest that will inform a future strategy must be the protection of individuals, homes and farmland, as well as the capacity to react quickly and coherently. I am sure that our European partners and counterparts in COSI will be interested to note that a seminal report on maintaining the River Shannon, the Rydell report, has been gathering dust since 1956. Taking more than 50 years to take the appropriate initiative to deal with a serious situation surely holds the record among member states. This report remains unimplemented since the mid-1950s, since before either the Acting Chairman or I were born.

See this speech in context