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

There are countries such as Ireland where the need to consolidate the public finances is inevitable. However, there are others where there are alternative routes. It is a major failing of the European Union’s leaders that they have continued with a one-policy-fits-all approach. This obliges even countries with significant flexibility to reject stimulus spending. It ends the possibility of balances within the eurozone going both ways in order to benefit the whole. The inability of the European Union to help states in trouble means it is focused primarily on control measures.

Buried within the communiqué issued after the summit is a very depressing confirmation that this failed policy is to be retained. It was agreed by the Taoiseach that all solidarity measures should be funded within the existing budget and that the main route to growth was the reform of the labour market and trade. I can understand how Fine Gael would sign up to such a restrictive view of the economy, but how this can be reconciled with the Labour Party’s way, I have no idea. No matter what the Taoiseach says, an EU policy which actively opposes a stimulus, pushes reduced spending and does not target regions most in need is not one for growth and job creation. The failure to reform the European Union, make it more active and fit for the purpose in helping countries will be recorded by history as a failure of leadership by this generation of EU leaders. December 2013 will be remembered as the time when the European Council ended its efforts to respond radically to the largest crisis in the history of the Union.

On defence, the citizens of Europe will be surprised to know that the bulk of the time at this summit was spent on defence matters rather than social and economic issues. The carefully worded conclusions from the summit do not contain any overt challenge to the neutrality of Ireland and some other member states. They do, however, contain no proper acknowledgement of this either. There are two significant points of concern which Ireland should have mentioned, but it does not appear to have done so. First, there are proposals to direct procurement and development activity into specific areas, in particular, unmanned drones and air-to-air refuelling. This is not a peacekeeping focused agenda. These are activities which have nothing to do with the type of activities that interest Ireland and other countries which have no interest in planning for participating in international conflicts. It is an agenda tightly focused on the interests of major defence contractors who do business with states which maintain a conflict participation capacity. Under no circumstance should Ireland support a direction of any common EU capacity to these areas.

Second, there is the statement that the Commission will look for opportunities to target research funding from Horizon 2020 to defence-related areas. This is absolutely unacceptable. The research programme is already insufficient. Through the efforts of our Commissioner, it has been targeted on major economic, social and health challenges facing Europe. No redirection to drone development or other defence priorities should be countenanced.

Before the summit the Taoiseach roared “nonsense” across the chamber when he was told that we did not trust Fine Gael’s policy of wanting to move away from the United Nations and towards Europe in defence policy. He should take the time to read his party’s own policy published during his own leadership and also the informed leaks from the Minister for Defence, Deputy Alan Shatter, to the effect that the UN Security Council should not be part of the triple lock underpinning our neutrality.

Much of the international coverage of the summit focused on revelations of American data collection and eavesdropping in Europe. The Taoiseach’s reaction was disappointing. It was not enough to say he hoped there was nothing with an impact on Ireland. Equally, his refusal to ask the British Government for assurances that it did not intercept our communications during the Northern negotiations is a disgrace.

The summit adopted quite general conclusions on Ukraine. I support High Commissioner Ashton in her refusal to accept the demands of the Russian and Ukrainian Governments. There comes a point when the behaviour of certain governments can no longer allow it to be business as usual. Both the Russian and Ukrainian Governments are members of the Council of Europe.

They have both signed the European charter of human rights and regularly deny basic rights to citizens. The people being beaten on the streets of Kiev are there because they believe in democracy and human rights. They are there because they see the European Union as their best hope for stability and development and it must stand with them.

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