Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As we approach European Parliament elections, in just five weeks, the future of Europe is not simply a theoretical debate. Ireland’s position on the future of Europe will be decided by the people through the ballot box. My hope is that they will make a clear choice, because they have one, between two radically different directions for Europe. The choice is not between populists versus parties committed to Europe. The real choice is between the vision of a social Europe put forward by the Party of European Socialists, against more of the same in the agenda set out by the European People’s Party, EPP. One of these two parties will be the largest in the European Parliament and will be decisive in choosing the next President of the European Commission.

Last night, French television hosted a debate in the English language between the two lead candidates contesting Jean-Claude Juncker's job. Labour’s candidate, from the Party of European Socialists, is Frans Timmermans, and the EPP’s candidate is Manfred Weber. The contrast between these two candidates could not be starker. It defines the real battle for Europe’s future. Manfred Weber of the EPP has no ministerial experience. His greatest claim to fame is allowing Hungary's Viktor Orbán to remain inside the EPP until recent times, when Orbán became so controversial he caused the EPP to suspend the Hungarian party's membership. Weber insisted in last night's debate on "strict and strong border control" and resettlement of illegal migrants. Weber is playing on fears of migration, even though Europe has experienced lower rates of migration in recent years, as the migration crisis seems to be more controlled.

Timmermans, on the other hand, is an experienced politician, a former Foreign Minister and the current Vice-President of the European Commission. Timmermans talked about Europe's silent majorities, who want Europe to take action to redistribute wealth, to ensure fair taxation systems and to bring in a minimum wage in every member state. He talked about children in poverty, youth unemployment and the working poor as the real issues that Europe needs to address.

We need to show that solidarity at EU level can allow us to solve problems that nation states cannot solve on their own. I refer to issues like climate change.

Manfred Weber talked about economic growth as the solution to all these issues but he refused to entertain any European role in health care, pensions or taxation. Frans Timmermans spoke about the ambition we need at European level to be part of the solution, for example a European programme to support social housing as an example of the decisions we can take in the European Parliament. Europe has appropriate investment funds that can be made available for the purpose of supporting major public housing programmes, along the lines set out by Frans Timmermans. He has also suggested more action to close the pay gap between women and men. These are measurable, real issues to make Europe more understandable to the peoples of Europe.

On Brexit, Manfred Weber expressed his scepticism about the UK's potential role in the next European Parliament if it sends MEPs, but Frans Timmermans spoke about the hope for the UK to remain inside the EU and how welcome it would be if it stayed. One of Frans Timmermans’s main arguments is a core issue for the Party of European Socialists. It is our concern to avoid a situation where we turn a blind eye against other people because of they have a different religion or a different skin colour to ours. In contrast, Manfred Weber launched his campaign with a pledge to cancel negotiations with Turkey. The real threat of the far right and why they are dangerous to the cohesion of the European institutions is they are focused on issues of identity. They seek to reinforce identity divisions between people.

As we approach the European elections on 24 May, this is the choice that is before the people of Ireland. We are voting to choose sides on the future of Europe, to choose what side of the chamber Ireland's MEPs will sit on and how they will vote on the central issues like child poverty, fair taxation and climate change. Most of all, we are voting to choose between an inward looking version of nationalist Europe, surrounded by strict and strong border controls, or an outward looking Europe built on solidarity and co-operation among Europe's people as well as its governments.

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