Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Halligan for his kind remarks. I welcome this debate on the challenges facing the European Union. As Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, it is a pleasure to speak on this issue on Europe Day. It is fitting that we mark Europe Day and recall that Europe, notwithstanding the flaws and many difficulties with which we are faced, about which we heard earlier from other Deputies, has developed into a place that values cultural diversity and has brought lasting peace to member states and religious freedom, fundamental rights and human rights to the citizens within its borders. I am delighted to be here today and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, to the House for this debate.

Europe Day is not just a one day event for the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs in that it engages in ongoing debate on issues of importance. Only last week, the committee held a debate with former EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland, the Italian Ambassador and others on the migration crisis in the European Mediterranean region and how we can react to that humanitarian crisis. As a result of that meeting, we will be sending a letter to the Taoiseach outlining the views of the committee in regard to what needs to be done in the region. One of the clear views expressed by all members of the committee was that Europe is not doing enough to tackle this crisis, including in terms of the number of refugees being taken in by all member states. We expect and hope that the Taoiseach will take on board our views and ensure that other European leaders are aware of the comments of the citizens of Ireland and act on them.

The joint committee tries to play an integral role on behalf of the Oireachtas in the developing role of national parliaments in the European Union and ensuring that national parliamentarians have a role at European level. The role of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs has evolved over time from that of a committee which scrutinises the laws and legislation coming from Europe to that of a committee which now also focuses on policy, which is one of the reasons for the meeting last week on the migration issue. The committee also addresses other issues such as the gap that exists between citizens and Europe and what Europe is doing.

This afternoon, the committee will engage in a discussion on changing attitudes towards the European Union. Members will be aware from talking to Irish citizens during various referenda campaigns that the level of support for Ireland's continued membership of the European Union has decreased. The committee is seeking to gain an understanding of the reason people are turning against the European project. The question of why support for the European Union is declining must be asked. As such, the committee will hear at its meeting this afternoon with the Irish Countrywomen's Association, the National Youth Council of Ireland and others what they believe can be done to combat the decrease in buy-in to Europe.

Another vital issue, which was raised earlier by Deputy Ross, is the reason nobody is speaking about the elephant in the room when it comes to Europe, namely, what Britain will do. As members will be aware, a general election is underway in Britain today. For the past three months, the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs has been addressing the issue of a possible exit by Britain from Europe. Deputy Ross may not be aware of that but members of the committee, some of whom are in the House now, are well aware of the implications of such an exit on Ireland. The committee will in the coming weeks present a report on what it considers to be the implications for Ireland of a British exit. It is no secret that outgoing Prime Minister Cameron has said that if returned to government he will hold a referendum on this matter within the next two years. The view of the committee is that regardless of who is in government in the UK, a referenda will be held. There is a boil in terms of Britain's ongoing involved with the European Union that needs to be lanced. The implications of this for Ireland will be profound. This issue has been considered by the committee. I have no doubt the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, other committees and the Department will be monitoring this issue on an ongoing basis to ensure there is clarity regarding the implications of such an exit for Ireland and how we should react to it, including what negotiation strategies to employ to ensure we mitigate any impact on our citizens.

When it comes to the role of national parliaments, we are trying to ensure that national parliaments utilise the powers given to them under the Lisbon treaty to the fullest extent. An issue often raised by national parliamentarians, not only by Irish parliamentarians but parliamentarians from other countries, is the relative shift in power away from national parliamentarians towards the European Parliament and European Commission as a result of the Lisbon treaty. The Lisbon treaty gives national parliamentarians additional powers, some of which were ground-breaking at the time of their introduction. The right of national parliaments to scrutinise and influence EU legislation on the basis of subsidiarity was enshrined in the treaties at the time of the adoption of the Lisbon treaty. There are issues in relation to what the definition means and what we can do with it.

After five years of experience there is a growing sense that we need to develop those powers further. My committee is dealing with a number of other national parliaments, notably with the British, Dutch, Danish and Polish parliaments. Next week a number of committee members will attend a meeting in Warsaw on the yellow card issue and how the role of national parliaments can be improved. I expect an outcome of that meeting will be proposals that can be put to the European Commission and to the new First Vice-President, Mr. Frans Timmermans, on how the role of national parliamentarians can be improved over the coming years. We have received a firm commitment from the new European Union Commission to better engage with national parliaments. There is an understanding on its part that national parliaments have lost out somewhat, relatively speaking, since the Lisbon treaty. This is acknowledged by the Commission and it is willing to see an improved and increased role for national parliamentarians. We will do what we can to improve our engagement with the Commission.

In the past two years we have set out a number of considered political contributions to the Commission. Last year, we put forward our views on how the Europe 2020 strategy could be improved. We also talked about how we wanted to see the social rights of European citizens more enshrined in European Union legislation and policy, looking at issues such as the pay gender gap, part-time work and the need to ensure that jobs, when created, provide a living wage. Conditions of work such as zero contract hours have a negative impact on the lives of employees. We have been making political contributions to the European Commission on a number of issues over the past number of years and we will continue to do so. We need to communicate better the message of the work done by the Oireachtas and by the European Union.

I note a previous speaker said that nobody would be watching this debate. However, I know that many ambassadors watch these debates all the time. They may not be in the public audience today but I can guarantee that they are watching on television as this debate is broadcast live on Oireachtas TV and on the Oireachtas website. People watch these debates and they find them very useful and I often get feedback from ambassadors and others as to the nature of our discussions.

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