Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their statements in advance of the December European Council. The Taoiseach already spoke in some detail about expectations for the Article 50 meeting on Brexit, the euro summit, and several items for discussion tomorrow and Friday. That includes the multi-annual financial framework, which I will go into in more detail in due course, the Single Market, migration, security and defence, and external relations, as well as the fight against racism and xenophobia, disinformation, and climate change.

As the Taoiseach mentioned, I will speak about the other issues on the agenda of the European Council, in particular the multi-annual financial framework, and preparations for the next strategic agenda, including the outcome of the citizens' dialogues and consultations on the future of Europe. We will have a chance for further questions next week. I have taken many of the suggestions and statements that were made on board ahead to the meeting.

On the next multi-annual financial framework, which is to cover the period from 2021 to 2027, the House will recall that the June European Council invited the Council and the European Parliament to examine the Commission proposals in a comprehensive manner and as soon as possible. At the European Council this week, leaders will review the progress that has been made on this by the Austrian Presidency in the negotiations over the past six months. While this is the first time the leaders will meet and have a detailed discussion, this has been ongoing within the General Affairs Council, which I attend, and also the finance committee, the agriculture committee and all of the other various bodies for almost two years. I expect that leaders will call on the incoming Romanian Presidency to advance the next phase of the negotiations with a view to reaching agreement at the European Council in autumn 2019.

The European project has helped to transform Ireland from one of the least developed member states when we joined, to one of the more prosperous today. We all recognise how we have benefitted from membership of the EU and it is important to use that experience to help shape the debate on the future of Europe and what our priorities should be. The post-2020 MFF comes at a time of change and adjustment for the EU. Long-term challenges such as economic competitiveness and climate change, emerging challenges to international trade and access to the Single Market, as well as international challenges, such as migration, security and terrorism have become more pronounced. The departure of the UK will also cause short and longer-term practical challenges for the MFF, the most obvious being a smaller budget that might entail member states paying more.

With Ireland's growing prosperity, we have moved from being a net beneficiary to a net contributor to the EU budget. Recognising how we have benefitted in the past, we are open to contributing more, provided that it meets European added value objectives. From Ireland's perspective, as Deputies have already outlined, it is important that current policies with demonstrated value continue to be properly supported. The CAP remains a particular priority for Ireland. Expenditure in the area of agriculture helps support 44 million jobs across the EU, while contributing to food security and safety, rural sustainability and environmental standards.

Cohesion is a traditional policy that is also important in helping member states to unlock their economic potential, which will benefit all of us in the long run. As a country that has benefitted from cohesion in the past we see that other newer or smaller member states which join should benefit in the same way.

In particular, I welcome the emphasis on other policies which function well, such as ERASMUS+, the Connecting Europe Facility, Horizon, which supports research and development, and the PEACE+ and INTERREG programmes which are part of the cross-Border community initiatives. I believe that budgets for such fundamental areas should be protected and we hope that they will be. We also acknowledge the concerns of our partners and support investment in evolving priorities including migration, climate change, digital transformation and security and defence, which again must bring added European value.

In terms of the strategic agenda, a meeting will take place in Sibiu next May where leaders will also discuss the main outcomes of the citizens' consultations that have been taking place across the Union. This initiative has encouraged people in all member states to have their say on the future shape and direction of the European Union. I was joined by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste last November when we launched our own citizens' dialogue on the future of Europe in Trinity College Dublin. I then hosted a series of regional dialogues in Galway, Cork, Donegal, Meath, and Dublin, culminating in an event in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Europe Day. A future of Europe website was also set up to raise public awareness and to help people to engage in the overall debate. We also travelled to various universities. Many of the institutions such as the European Movement Ireland, the Institute of International and European Affairs, IIEA, the Commission and the Parliament have all hosted their own series of events, including ones for industry and sector representative groups.

Our citizens' dialogues were characterised by strong positivity about the EU and Ireland's role within it. For the future, our citizens want to see the EU continue to do what it does well, by supporting programmes that deliver concrete benefits for all, such as the Common Agricultural Policy and ERASMUS+. In Ireland, Horizon 2020 has been especially beneficial.

It was clear that we should continue to focus on implementing practical measures that improve the lives of our citizens, such as the completion of the Single Market, especially in services, and the full implementation of the digital Single Market. As Mark Rutte said recently, if we implemented fully the Single Market in the area of goods and services we could add €1 trillion to the overall budget of the European Union, which would have a positive impact on the economy of all member states.

Our citizens also want the EU to focus on current challenges including climate change, migration, terrorism, cybersecurity and cross-border crime; and to maintain the principle of subsidiarity by ensuring that decisions are taken at the appropriate level. Yesterday at the General Affairs Council we had a discussion over lunch on subsidiarity. At the outset the Commissioner said not to ask him to explain what subsidiarity means, because it means different things to different people.

Throughout the dialogues, what was very interesting was that some people felt Europe interfered too much, particularly in the context of legislation in areas such as agriculture, the environment and small and medium enterprises, whereas others they felt it did not interfere enough, and still others felt it should be more involved in social issues. The question is how we make it work and how we ensure the Union is strong while, at the same time, ensuring that people feel it is democratic.

A number of proposals have been forward in the context of ensuring further scrutiny of legislation and building on the REFIT programme, which is ongoing. There are proposals to ensure more transparency with regard to legislation and to make sure it is fit for purpose. There is also the question of ensuring that people are connected from the ground up, particularly by means of proposals whereby local authorities within each member state would have greater connectivity and access to the European Parliament and the Commission. This gets to the heart of some of the issues raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett in that people would feel that their issues and concerns at local level are also being raised at European level.

An overarching theme in the citizens' dialogues was the need to ensure fairness in an increasingly competitive world, that is, fairness between member states, fairness in education and employment opportunities and fairness between generations. Citizens want to tackle social exclusion and they want stronger interventions at European level in combating discrimination, integrating migrants and improving access to services. they also want more investment in young people in the context of education, training and innovation. I welcome the Commission's proposal to double the amount spent on young people. Citizens want the EU to be a global leader in tackling climate change, with incentives for the transition to renewable energies, along with more protection for rural landscapes and a concerted effort to close the rural-urban divide.

On external relations, citizens believe that the EU has a moral imperative to do more for countries to the south and east and to promote education and empowerment in Africa. They also believe globalisation should not be allowed to proceed at the expense of human rights.

It is clear that citizens want the EU to engage better and to explain and communicate its policies and overall objectives. We learned that the Union needs to reaffirm its relevance in the daily lives of its citizens and that this needs to be constant, not just at a time of crisis or change. During the dialogues, I announced €100,000 worth of funding to support individuals, groups and organisations in projects aiming to communicate European issues. Similar funding was given out last year and it will be announced again early next year to allow community groups and organisations to apply.

The citizens' dialogue process in Ireland has been of invaluable assistance in creating the vision of an attractive EU that citizens can trust and support. I am grateful to everyone who responded to our call to get involved. I was pleased to launch the report on the process in October. It is available for anybody to read. Along with other member states, we have provided a report to the Commission, which has compiled a composite report for presentation to the European Council this week. The intention is that this will guide leaders as they work to identify key priorities in advance of the informal summit that will take place in Sibiu next May. At that meeting, leaders will prepare the strategic agenda for the EU from 2019 to 2024, with a view to agreeing it at the European Council in June 2019.

The European Council is expected to take note of the Commission proposal for a long-term climate strategy for the EU and to invite the Council to prepare for discussions early next year. This is, of course, a very important issue and we will participate actively in discussions.

The agenda for the December European Council covers a wide range of issues. As the Taoiseach made clear, Brexit remains very much a priority for the Government and we will use every opportunity at this critical time to ensure that our interests are protected. At the same time, we will continue to play a constructive role on the issues which are of significant concern to our partners and the EU as a whole. I thank Deputies for their attention and for their remarks. I look forward to the discussion we will have during questions next week.

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