Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge that some of this subject matter was dealt with, by way of a tour de force, at the meeting of the joint committees earlier today. The prospect of treaty change, certainly treaty change that may require referenda, strikes fear into the hearts of all those who are pro-European.

I commend the Minister of State on what she said on the need for us to continue to maintain very strong, close and good relations with all our European partners. However, there is much concern among people in Ireland and across Europe about what is emanating from the Franco-German axis. In this regard, I was struck by two statements in the past two days. Ms Angela Merkel stated the political Community will not survive if it is not capable of changing, and President Sarkozy stated there will be two European gears, one focused on more integration in the eurozone and the other on a more co-federal response in the Union. I want to give the Minister of State the opportunity to say that while engaging in the hard work she is doing on this matter, which I acknowledge, she will not countenance, under any circumstances, this federalist type of approach.

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