Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That, in accordance with Standing Order 102A(2)(a), Dáil Éireann notes and welcomes the Government's priorities for the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.”

I wish to begin by saying how pleased I am to be here with the newly appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Paschal Donohoe. I wish him well in his new office and I congratulate him on his appointment. The Minister of State, Deputy Donohoe, will be replying in the debate.

A little over two weeks ago Lithuania took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time. It is the first Baltic state to do so. In itself, this is a symbolic reminder of how the European Union has helped to heal the divisions of our once divided continent and to secure peace and stability in Europe. I welcome this opportunity to reflect on Lithuania's Presidency priorities for the coming months. Ireland is the first member of the current trio of Presidencies that includes Lithuania and Greece.

Over the past two years, we have worked very closely with the Lithuanian Administration at both political and official level in preparing for our Presidencies, following on from our close co-operation from 2011 to 2012 when Lithuania and Ireland successively held the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is a strong degree of commonality in the priorities we have adopted and of continuity between the two Presidencies. Above all, we were clear from the outset that the European Union needed to adopt the measures necessary to put the economic and financial crisis behind us and to return to a path of sustainable growth and job creation. I therefore welcome the emphasis placed in the Lithuanian Presidency programme on promoting stability and stimulating employment, particularly youth employment, as well as economic growth and competitiveness.

As with all Presidencies, the Lithuanian policy programme is shaped to a great extent by the progress made by the preceding Presidency in managing the European Union's legislative agenda. In particular, with the agreements secured by Ireland on the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, with its implications for many key legislative dossiers, Lithuania must manage a large body of implementing legislation required to give effect to the MFF and ensure that funding is available from the start of 2014. The Lithuanian Presidency also comes at a critical juncture, as the European Union's legislative cycle will reach its end during the first semester of 2014, with the elections for the European Parliament scheduled to take place in May 2014. Lithuania will therefore hold the final full six-month Presidency before the European Parliament elections, and there will be a certain pressure to make progress on a range of files by the end of its Presidency. From our close working relationship, I know the Lithuanian Administration is well prepared for the challenges ahead and is adopting a pragmatic approach to running the Presidency. Like Ireland, its ambition is to act as an honest broker in chairing the Council and negotiating with the European Parliament, with a firm focus on results that are of benefit to the Union and its citizens as a whole.

The Lithuanian Presidency programme is divided into three policy clusters under the headings of Credible, Growing and Open Europe. Credible Europe reflects many of the issues the Irish Presidency prioritised under the stability strand of its programme, with an emphasis on a stable financial sector and improved economic governance. Ireland already has secured agreement on two key elements of the banking union package - namely, the single supervisory mechanism and the capital requirements directive - and has made good progress on the banking recovery and resolution proposal. The Lithuanian Presidency will take on this work and will seek to make progress on the remaining elements of the banking union package, the deposit guarantee schemes and the single resolution mechanism. As with recent Presidencies, Vilnius also will work to deepen economic and monetary union and to implement the decisions that were taken at the June European Council. It will continue efforts to enhance economic governance and streamline economic and budgetary co-ordination with the European Union. A further element of the Lithuanian programme concerns combating tax fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.

Under the rubric of Growing Europe, Lithuania stresses the need for a competitive internal market and investment in research, the green economy and labour-intensive projects. Like Ireland, the Lithuanian Presidency aims to make further progress on the Single Market proposals to drive competitiveness, growth and job creation. It will prioritise the digital single market and the research and innovation sector, which are also key areas for Ireland and are essential for long-term growth prospects in Europe. A major event during the Lithuanian Presidency will be the ICT 2013 conference, which will take place in Vilnius in November. I particularly welcome the emphasis placed in the Lithuanian programme on measures to enhance employment, particularly youth unemployment, building on the progress reached on the youth guarantee during our Presidency. It will also encourage the implementation of the social investment package and prioritise better worker protection, including the protection of migrant workers. A particular priority for the Lithuanians - one that is entirely understandable from a national perspective but which is of importance for Europe as a whole - is the question of energy supply and security. The Presidency will work to advance the completion of the internal energy market and to ensure access to EU energy networks for all member states, bringing to an end the energy isolation of a number of member states.

The Open Europe cluster of the Lithuanian Presidency programme deals essentially with external affairs, with a particular priority attached to the European Neighbourhood Policy, enlargement and trade. It is natural that the Lithuanian Presidency should prioritise the European Neighbourhood Policy, and it brings both an important regional perspective and specific historical experience to the matter. In November, Vilnius will host the Eastern Partnership summit, which will mark one of the highlights of the Lithuanian Presidency. Like Ireland, Lithuania is a strong supporter of enlargement, and the accession of Croatia on 1 July was a propitious start to the Presidency. Building on the encouraging developments under the Irish Presidency, Lithuania will seek to advance accession negotiations with Turkey and Montenegro and ensure a European perspective for the other countries of the western Balkans. The Presidency has committed to continue the enlargement process based on firm and clear fulfilment of the membership criteria. An ambitious external trade agenda is also an important priority for the Lithuanian Presidency, as it was for us. It will seek to deepen economic and trade relations with the Eastern Partnership countries in particular, culminating in the Eastern Partnership Vilnius summit at the end of November, at which it is expected that Armenia, Georgia and Moldova will initial next-generation association agreements with the European Union. In addition to taking on a leadership role in protecting human rights and the principles of democracy and ensuring regional stability, Lithuania will work on the post-2015 development agenda. The Lithuanian Presidency will also support the further development and strengthening of the Common Security and Defence Policy in the run-up to discussion on security and defence issues at the December European Council.

The priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency are set out in detail in a programme that runs to more than 40 pages. I have asked that a copy be laid before the Houses. It is also available on the excellent Lithuanian Presidency website, www.eu2013.lt. I hope, however, that it is clear from what I have outlined that there is a common thread running through the Irish and the Lithuanian Presidencies - that is, the need to put the crisis behind us, to get Europe back on the path of sustainable long-term growth, to invest in the smart jobs of the future and to tackle the unacceptable level of youth unemployment that afflicts Europe today. The Irish Government will do its utmost to support the work of the Lithuanian Presidency and we wish our Lithuanian friends every success in the months ahead. I commend this motion to the House.

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