John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Bill which gives us an opportunity to reflect on our membership of the EU. It is also important - whether one is on the "Yes" side or the "No" side - that we have a constructive debate on the issues relating to the treaty and also the position of this country within the EU. Fianna Fáil will support the Bill. We look forward to campaigning for a "Yes" vote. We have always supported the concept of a united Europe and have always taken a pro-European stance in the past. Fianna Fáil has consistently argued in favour of holding a referendum to address the democratic deficit which is undermining EU efforts to tackle the crisis. We believe the treaty is a step towards addressing the economic crisis and, as such, we welcome it.

The Government is grudgingly holding a referendum having made every effort to avoid it by watering down the treaty, as was verified by the German Minister at the time of the negotiations. Cabinet Ministers have previously described the referendum as not very democratic, indicating a lack of respect for referring critical issues to the people. It is important that it was ultimately decided to hold a referendum. It is the only way forward. It is also important that the Irish people, who have made huge sacrifices in accepting reduced wages, disability cuts and extra charges in the past two years, would be given an opportunity to debate the issues and to have their say on the treaty. People around the country have made many sacrifices in recent years. A household charge has been introduced and water charges are to be introduced. The spend available to people has been reduced which involves people making many sacrifices.

We are a small island nation on the edge of Europe and if we are to progress further as a country we must continue to be at the heart of the European agenda. We have greatly benefited from our membership of the EU. We have benefited financially and in terms of equality, education, infrastructure, agriculture and working conditions. This was a different country prior to 1972. We have seen infrastructural developments such as new roads from Dublin to Cork, Dublin to Wexford and Dublin to Galway. We have benefited enormously in that respect.

One to the major changes has been in the area of working conditions. When I first began to work there were few legal requirements for working conditions, the work environment or overtime - in many cases for no extra pay. The new working conditions that were introduced on foot of our membership of the EU have greatly enhanced this whole area. We have also seen enormous spending in education and agriculture as another area in which we have benefited greatly. I accept we have a problem with unemployment, which is far too high in this country and across the European Union. I listened intently to the speech of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton. She referred to the multinational companies that are coming to this country. They are most welcome but, as the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Kelly, is aware, a significant number of people are long-term unemployed and find it difficult to acquire work.

When I travel around my county and the conversation turns to the EU treaty, people ask me what is in it for the unemployed and the less well-off. This is an area the Government must deal with in the next four to five weeks. Certainly, there have been promises such as in respect of the five-point plan and efforts to get people back into a work environment, but the measures do not seem to be working and must be dealt with as we cannot continue to leave many people long-term unemployed. Many of the long-term unemployed are still relatively young because they worked in the building sector and have found themselves with no job opportunities in the past four or five years.

Irish exports provide the success story. The figure for exports which amounted to €24.5 billion in 1998 rose to €35.1 billion in 2010. As the House will be aware, exports have reached a record level in the past year and the indicators point upwards, which is good. There are 500 million people within the European Union which offers opportunities to export more. There are also opportunities to become actively involved in other areas. Most of the exports are by pharmaceutical companies which is to be welcomed, but there are also significant opportunities in the food sector on which we have not yet capitalised, although there is considerable food production by farmers. The Food Harvest 2020 programme which was brought forward by the previous Government was adopted by the Government and there are great opportunities to develop the food sector and increase exports as we produce food in a green and clean environment. That is what Europeans are looking for. From the discussions the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, had in China in recent weeks, obviously it is what the Chinese are looking for also. For that reason, I welcome the fact that the Irish Farmers' Association has come on board in favour of a "Yes" vote, as farmers have benefited enormously through farm payments from the European Union in recent years. CAP reform is coming down the tracks. It is important, therefore, that the passing of the treaty also reflect the fact that farmers will continue to benefit from the CAP because serious concerns have been expressed in this regard. However, as I stated, the IFA has now come out and stated clearly that the best opportunities for the farming sector in the future will be within the Union and that we should be at the heart of it. As the House will be aware, there are 300,000 employed in the agriculture sector which is an important one. It is important, therefore, that we underpin agricultural production and that there be a successful outcome to the CAP negotiations. The Minister has travelled to Brussels, as both Deputy Moynihan and I have, for discussions with the officials involved to ensure the views, reflections and ideals of Irish farmers will be included in the talks on the CAP.

Overall, there is a need for a full debate on the treaty in the next four or five weeks. We cannot take things for granted. The opinion poll results today in The Irish Times show clearly that up to 40% are undecided, a big percentage. It is up to us pro-Europeans to convince the people that a "Yes" vote represents the best way forward for them. As I stated, we are an island nation on the outskirts of Europe and have benefited considerably from EU membership during the years. I have always strongly held the view that we must continue to be at the heart of European affairs. As the Minister stated, we have punched above our weight in this regard.

We must state clearly that the moneys that we acquired from the European Union were spent wisely. They were spent on the people through the development of infrastructural projects far beyond our wildest dreams 20 or 25 years ago. This was supported by the Labour Party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and the majority of the people. The Fianna Fáil Party is strongly of the view that we should continue to be at the heart of Europe and reflect the views of the majority of the people at EU level. It is up to all of us, in the next four to five weeks, to canvas, tell the story as it is and point out to the people that we would be far better off in supporting the treaty and voting "Yes" to it. As I stated, it is important, both on the "No" and the "Yes" side, that there be a constructive debate, that there not be flag-flying with persons threatening each other or trying to pull strokes. That is not what this is about. It is about what is best for the people who will make their decision wisely at the end of May.

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