Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I propose to share time with Deputy Creighton. I wish Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn well in her appointment. I also wish the former Commissioner, Mr. Charlie McCreevy, well. He had many disagreements with this side of the House but one must admire his individual streak and his commitment. I wish him well in whatever line of work he takes up in the future.

The recent special summit did not have the desired impact in terms of reassuring the financial markets that the economic crisis in Greece would not threaten the stability of the euro. While I recognise the Greek Government has taken some decisive steps to stabilise the economy, it is essential the European Union makes it clear that no eurozone member will be allowed to default on its sovereign debt. The same resolve displayed during the banking crisis must be repeated in defence of the euro. I welcome the contribution by the Taoiseach outlining the strong measures the European Union has taken with respect to Greece. I refer in particular to the view that statistics were falsified. The mechanism by which Greece borrowed money was disguised but I am not sure whether it was knowingly or willingly intended to deceive. That this has been addressed by the EU in so open a manner augurs well for post-Lisbon Europe.

The Taoiseach referred to the EU response to the disaster in Haiti, the other main issue for discussion. It is important that the new clarity in external relations provided for in the Lisbon treaty is implemented in a clear and coherent fashion so there is clarity about the respective roles in the new structures. I have raised the matter of Irish Aid budget and aid agencies with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. We talk about learning lessons from the past but it struck me that as much effort was put into the PR aspect of the whole operation in Haiti as into solving the problem. Under the umbrella of Dóchas or the Department of Foreign Affairs, all the aid agencies should be brought in and we should examine the areas of expertise and the geographic locations of the agencies. Rather than having five or six aid agencies in one patch fighting for publicity and funding for the same operation, we should examine the feasibility of aid agencies operating in an area of expertise or a single geographic area.

Most of the European Council meeting was taken up with the European strategy for growth and jobs. This follows from the horizontal social clause in the Lisbon treaty, which states that every policy must be proofed against achieving a high level of employment. One relevant issue here and right across Europe is employment. We touched on the Government submission, which will be considered at the Council meeting in March. The strategy for growth and jobs has not been debated in this House and few Members are aware of the Government proposal. The Minister of State, Deputy Dick Roche, appeared before the Joint Committee on European Affairs and outlined Government thinking, answered questions and said he would take on board committee members' views. This is an important document. Agreement will reached by June but Members of this House have had no input. I ask the Taoiseach to consider allocating half a day to debate this topic. Unemployment is the subject of the Private Members' motion debated last night and tonight. As I was driving in today I heard the media talking about the lack of awareness in the Oireachtas of the importance of employment. This is probably the subject that has been discussed most in the past few months but it gets no coverage from the media.

The passports issue was not dealt with at this informal meeting. It is imperative that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, tries to establish whether there is a link with the falsified Irish passports and how this information was gathered by whoever carried out the operation. It is really important. It is very difficult to protect the security of a passport because we hand them in at airports and hotels. It is important that we establish, in conjunction with our European partners, who used these passports and how they obtained the information. We must be prepared to take whatever steps are necessary if it is shown that another state authorised the use of these documents. It is a very hostile act to falsify passports of a friendly nation or any nation.

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