Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

President Van Rompuy was commissioned by the Heads of Government to produce a paper on a roadmap for the future, including the possibility of limited treaty change. He has tabled his paper which is separate from any proposals that may emerge from another leader or a group of countries. The EU 27 make decisions and the ratification process is about the treaty and treaty changes. The euro 17 have a different perspective on fiscal discipline, fiscal union and budgetary matters. The meeting will involve all 27 member states and the outcome is unpredictable. The President put forward a view in which very serious and significant changes could be made without providing for substantial treaty change. He also put forward a view on how, if there was to be substantial treaty change, articles would be changed and how matters would be dealt with. He has tabled a paper as he was asked to do and it will be the central point of discussion at the meeting. Individual countries will put forward their views on it. I would like to see a series of decisions made to provide economic confidence in the eurozone following the meeting. In other words, we should provide for a firewall to deal with any issues of contagion. A range of issues are included on how this might evolve. At the end of the meeting, we would rather not just have a list of issues leading to a possible roadmap further down the road, as we cannot predict what governments or parliaments might do where there is a minority or referendums might be necessary. That is all for discussion and the meeting could last longer than forecast. The Van Rompuy paper is on the table and it will be the central point of discussion. We need to see certainty in the eurozone in order that investors can look at it with confidence in considering their investments.

The question then is how do we have fiscal discipline within the eurozone or the European Union as a whole. There will be points of argument because some countries have very strong views about what they might be looking to extract from the concept of treaty change and how we might go about it. The Van Rompuy paper deals with two issues, one in respect of which we would need a treaty change and another in respect of which we would not.

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