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

I have a number of questions on this section.

Pre-European Council statements are scheduled for today. As we have only ten minutes each to speak I will concentrate on those questions on the non-Brexit items to be dealt with at the Eurogroup meeting and the full summit. I point out to the Taoiseach that the practice is continuing whereby more information about our Government's position and agenda items is available to us in Brussels than is available here.

At the euro area summit President Tusk has proposed that agreement would be reached on a specific timeline for decisions on a range of issues. For example, it proposed a formal decision on digital taxation would be taken in March and other eurozone changes would be addressed in quick succession. I have repeatedly raised the issue that Ireland should insist that no decisions be reached without detailed impact studies on proposals. It is simply unacceptable that major proposals concerning tax rules should be considered in the absence of an expert review of the likely impact on individual member states and on the Union as a whole.

Fianna Fáil has a far more developed European Union and eurozone reform policy than the Government. We welcome many of the points articulated by President Macron and others. We can never support, however, the idea that changes presented as fundamental could be pushed through and pushed to a vote without basic work being done on the impact. It has already been said that the parallel OECD process is the one Fianna Fáil believes should be prioritised. The March deadline, to be agreed on Thursday, is actually before the OECD proposals are due to be presented at the G20. The announcement by Facebook yesterday seems reasonable but it does not in any way justify the push to a conclusion on a proposal where the most basic impact studies have not been carried out.

Does the Taoiseach propose to agree to the March deadline or will Ireland insist that impact studies be presented before any proposals are voted on?

On the wider issue of the Macron reforms, the Taoiseach's only response thus far has been a general welcome and the rebranding of public consultations. The question remains as to what Ireland's policy is towards change in the eurozone and to the Union as a whole. Is it intended to maintain the policy of simply responding to the proposals of others or will Ireland seek to become a more active participant in the future of Europe discussions?

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