Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am almost concluded. I get no sense from the Taoiseach's speech or from Ireland's Presidency that any effort has been made to articulate a broader revision about a budget that still only accounts for approximately 1% of the overall European budget despite this being a time of crisis. The budget will have direct repercussions on the size of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and the scale of the cheques that farmers will receive and will undermine the good work done in the past five to six years in terms of agriculture and food development.

Following Prime Minister Cameron's recent speech, the background to every summit will be the fact that a member state has, for the first time, started a discussion about leaving the Union. Ireland does not want the UK to leave the Union, but we need to end our silence on the Tory agenda. The speech was dressed up with positive words, but if one looks beyond them, one finds a bleak vision for the Union. The list of powers that he cited for repatriation comes down to a demand that the EU cease to exist and become simply a free trade area. However, even this would be almost impossible to achieve, as the regulations that give the Single Market its impact would be impossible under the Tory agenda. If even a fraction of what is being demanded was conceded, the terms of Ireland's membership of the Union would be changed, requiring a referendum that would have no chance of passing.

As European issues have mounted, the Government's refusal to set out its policy is stark.

What does Ireland want the Union to become? How does it see it developing? Agreeing to everything except changes that require a referendum is not a policy. We need a comprehensive vision for Europe from our perspective and how we see it evolving in the years ahead. I thank the Acting Chairman for his forbearance.

See this speech in context