Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to reassure the Deputy and the House we share the same objective in the context of securing an adequate budget. That is challenging because, simply put, it requires unanimity across all member states.

It is not an option for the Commission to spend money it does not have. It cannot, under the legal terms under which the European Union is constituted, operate a deficit. It can only spend moneys that member states agree to contribute. It is very clear where Ireland stands in that context. The Taoiseach made that very clear in the context of his address to the European Parliament and it has been reiterated on numerous occasions since then by the Taoiseach, myself and, in particular, by the Minister for Finance.

In the context of that budget there are competing demands, and the Deputy is aware of those. They include security, migration, youth unemployment, etc. These are all legitimate issues, but what our position has been all along is that they should be funded, but not at the expense of the CAP budget. The only way to square that circle is for member states to increase their contributions, and we are willing to do so, but the requirement for unanimity makes that difficult. Even in the context of the CAP, some member states, responding to Commissioner Hogan's most recent proposals, have said that those cuts do not go far enough.

Our view is that there are increasing challenges in the CAP. Farmers need to be adequately compensated for that and we are working with member states, particularly in the context of the Madrid declaration, and are creating the political awareness for the need for an adequate budget for the CAP.

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