Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to join my colleagues in the Houses of Parliament to welcome Mr. Schulz. This is a great opportunity to celebrate once again our strong and deepening relationship with the European Parliament, which we consider to be vital. When the Government came into office last year, one of the first things we did was to hold in this Chamber for the first time a joint sitting of the Irish MEPs and Members of the Dáil and Seanad.

Today’s proceedings mark the first address to Dáil Éireann by a President of the European Parliament and this is very important in the context of our relationship with that body. It is fitting that Mr. Schulz is with us, not only because Ireland will assume the role of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in a few short months, but also because it represents a unique opportunity for the President of the European Parliament to address the representatives of the Irish people and, in turn, hear their views, as Mr. Schulz has been doing. This is particularly important at a time of significant challenge - as has been stated by every speaker - as we confront and overcome the difficulties imposed by the impact of the crisis in the eurozone, including continuing to meet exacting targets in successfully implementing an extremely challenging programme of economic reform.

As a passionate believer in the European project and the immense value of the European Parliament, I intend to focus my remarks on its role, which has been, and rightly so, considerably enhanced in recent years. The European Parliament is rightly proud of its status as the only directly elected EU institution. It is on the front line of democracy as a place where we debate the impact of policies on our day to day lives.

While the European Parliament is a unique institution, it none the less shares a common objective with national parliaments of representing citizens and working to secure their best interests. While I am dealing with this point, I acknowledge the contribution of Irish MEPs over many years, in particular the contribution of Pat Cox as a distinguished predecessor of President Schulz. A number of MEPs are present for today's proceedings and I welcome them.

As with the European Union itself, the Parliament has evolved and adapted over time. It is a living institution that is constantly growing, developing and changing. The most recent example of this is the Lisbon treaty. The European Parliament now co-legislates on an equal footing with the Council in the majority of areas within the EU's competence. The Parliament has always brought a more direct perspective from EU citizens to bear on complex and sometimes rather confusing subjects. Since the Lisbon treaty and despite the complexities of the legislative process, the European Parliament and the Council are working even more successfully together, delivering across a range of sectors, such as strengthening the Single Market and supporting jobs and innovation. These are critical areas for the future of Europe and will be a key focus of Ireland's Presidency next year.

For any Presidency to succeed, an effective alliance with the European Parliament must be among the key goals. The Irish Government is committed to forging such a relationship with the Parliament before and during our Presidency. We look forward to a much more in-depth relationship with the Parliament thereafter, with greater engagement in the work and corridors of the Parliament by the Government and by the Oireachtas.

Since taking office in 2011, the Government has demonstrated that we see the Parliament as central to our interests in the EU and, crucially, to our EU Presidency. Irish Ministers have met almost 120 MEPs to date - including the President, vice-presidents, committee chairs, political group leaders and co-ordinators, rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs. The level of engagement will intensify further both as we approach the beginning of our Presidency and throughout our term. For my own part, I have been present at almost every plenary session in Strasbourg since last November. I have met the chairs and key members of a range of committees and political groups relevant to our Presidency priorities. Being present in Parliament and meeting and talking to MEPs has provided me with valuable insight into the range of perspectives within the Parliament, and it is an element of my work which I consider to be indispensable.

Next month, President Schulz will return to Dublin, leading a delegation of the European Parliament’s political leaders. The delegation will meet the Government to discuss Ireland’s priorities for the Presidency. A number of the Parliament’s committees will also visit Dublin before the end of the year and I will facilitate them in meetings with our various sectoral Ministers. Separately, the leading political groups within the Parliament are due to visit Dublin in November and, again, I will facilitate that process, ensuring they meet all the necessary representatives from Government, the various sectors in civil society, other organisations and Members of the Opposition. These face-to-face contacts provide strong foundations for relations with the Parliament during our Presidency. Today’s address by President Schulz also has a key part to play in building the mutual understanding and trust which is such a vital part of successful presidencies.

However, the value of these engagements goes beyond Ireland's Presidency. The legislative powers of the Parliament cover a range of policy areas from research and development to justice and home affairs, climate change, regional policy, financial market regulation, agriculture and fisheries. A deeper appreciation of the Parliament's perspective in these areas can only serve to enrich our participation in Council decision making beyond the Presidency. Put simply, engagement with the European Parliament is in our interest if we want to be centrally involved in the decision-making process of the European Union. As President Schulz pointed out, on a relatively frequent number of occasions the European Parliament has been way ahead of both national governments and the Council. Perhaps we need to listen more to the European Parliament because there is a constant flow of good and constructive ideas from the Parliament.

Substantial legislative work is continually under way between the Parliament and the Council, with the rotating Presidency obviously playing a key role as an interlocutor. Many important proposals will continue into our Presidency from the Cypriot Presidency. For example, the Cypriot Presidency is taking forward work on the key issue of the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, to which a number of speakers have alluded. I hope and believe we can see agreement within the Council on that vital budget in November. This being the case, as the Taoiseach pointed out, we will be responsible for taking forward some 70 pieces of sectoral legislation which will stem from the agreement. Even if the Cypriot Presidency concludes the budget negotiations, it is fair to say that quite a degree of the workload will fall on the shoulders of the Irish Presidency. However, the Parliament’s agreement to the overall budget is essential and there have been ongoing and close contacts between the representatives of the Parliament and the Council as the discussions have developed. Many issues related to the MFF will be discussed and debated in the Parliament during Ireland’s Presidency.

During our Presidency, we will work steadfastly, both within the Council and through constant dialogue with the Parliament, to make progress on this demanding legislative workload. The Irish Government will have a number of commitments in the European Parliament during the Presidency. The Taoiseach will present the Government’s priorities for our Presidency to the plenary in Strasbourg in early January, and the majority of Ministers will make presentations to the Parliament’s committees in Brussels the following week. I will represent the Council during plenary debates in Strasbourg throughout the Presidency, as will my colleagues. In December, I will meet the Parliament’s conference of committee chairs to discuss and set out legislative priorities across all sectors during our Presidency.

I mentioned at the outset the role of national parliaments and I know this subject is of particular interest to President Schulz who has expressed the view that involving national parliaments in European decision making helps to engage and win the trust of our citizens. I also share this interest, having chaired a sub-committee of the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on this issue during the lifetime of the previous Dáil. One common thread to emerge from that process is the challenge of engaging national parliamentarians in EU policy areas. It is not an easy task. It is complex and requires time and much dedication from members of parliament. I do not underestimate that challenge. Everyone is busy with lots of pressures and demands. The Lisbon treaty is crucial to all of this. It represented considerable progress in involving national parliaments in the functioning of the Union. However, challenges clearly remain and I think it fair to say that we are still at an evolving stage in terms of national parliaments engaging effectively at EU level.

A related challenge is the difficulty of communicating the role of the institutions and the implications of EU membership to citizens. Now and at all times, it is appropriate that we create time for the discussion of that subject. I see this as central to the work we will be undertaking during the European year of citizens, which will coincide with Ireland's Presidency next year. The challenges of parliamentary and citizen engagement are clearly intertwined. On entering Government, we made a number of proposals to enhance the role of the Houses of the Oireachtas in respect of Europe and many of these are now in place. All Oireachtas committees scrutinise draft EU legislation within their areas of expertise and meet Ministers prior to Council meetings to discuss the agenda. Indeed, I probably meet the Joint Committee on European Affairs every month and sometimes more frequently.

I consider that really fruitful and instructive and hope the members do also. My Government colleagues consider it very useful to appear before committees in advance of their attending European Council meetings.

The Taoiseach briefs the Dáil on the agenda and outcome of European Council meetings. That was not the procedure heretofore. The Houses are preparing their own substantial programme of interparliamentary meetings for Ireland's Presidency. These are all welcome developments but, of course, we need to do more. We must constantly increase our efforts to deepen Oireachtas engagement. The Government is really committed to working effectively with the Houses of the Oireachtas, as stated by the Ceann Comhairle in his opening remarks. There are discussions under way on a memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Houses on EU affairs in order to provide greater structure and clarity in regard to our respective commitments. I proposed this in this Chamber some months ago. Such memoranda of understanding exist in other Parliaments and having one would very much enhance our procedures for doing business.

Let me borrow from President Schulz's inaugural address to the European Parliament in January 2012. He stated:

[T]he EU is not a zero-sum game [...]. It means resolving disputes by means of dialogue and consensus; basing decisions on the principles of solidarity and democracy, and not simply deferring to the more powerful; [...] and placing the common good above individual interests.

These are universal principles to which we can all subscribe. They hold particular resonance for us as a small EU member state preparing for our Presidency next year.

We will aim to resolve constructively the disputes that inevitably arise during the detailed negotiations which are part and parcel of the co-decision process. We will work with the European Parliament in a spirit of mutual respect and trust, and with due regard for our respective roles and mandates. We look forward to working successfully with the European Parliament during this time in the interest of all EU citizens.

We warmly appreciate the visit of President Schulz to Ireland. In his visit, he has made a point of engaging with the public, including, as stated by Deputy Martin, through public debate at University College Dublin, where I believe he had a decisive victory. He made a valuable point when he went to see at first hand a programme through which young people can re-skill to re-enter the jobs market. President Schulz's choice of programme augurs well for our co-operation as we move into the Presidency.

I look forward to attending more plenary sessions of the European Parliament from now right through our Presidency as we intensify our engagement. I was at the Parliament yesterday meeting the co-ordinators of the ALDE group. That work continues. We look forward very much to President Schulz's return at the end of next month, during which visit he will be accompanied by the political leaders from the European Parliament. This visit will build on the work done yesterday and today and further prepare both sides for successful collaboration over the course of the next nine months and beyond.

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