Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I remind Deputy Ross that we are following through on the decision of the people to endorse the Lisbon treaty. He will appreciate that the comments made here by President Schulz last week were not a piece of theatre, but the actual facts. The budget for the European Union requires the support and approval of the European Parliament. The Deputy will recall that President Schulz said last week that we need to return to the community method. We had already made that perfectly clear to other leaders. In its own way, it was a contributory factor to the decision that was made on 29 June to break the link between sovereign and bank debt. In our case, it clearly signifies our understanding of this as a legacy debt with implications for other countries. The banking union programme that has been prepared by the Commission is on the table and is being discussed. The target date for that being implemented, or being in situ, is 1 January next. That is a tight timeline. I hope it can happen.

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