Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On this special day, I would like to be associated with all the tributes paid this morning to the family of the late, great, former Deputy Jackie Healy Rae.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the European Council meeting of 20 June. The European Council agreed a strategic agenda for the EU for the next five years. I wonder how the Council got around to agreeing this, especially with the backdrop of what is happening with our neighbours across the water and their ongoing deliberations regarding Brexit. The strategic agenda sets out the priority areas which will steer the work of the European Council and provides guidance for the work programme of other EU institutions. The strategic agenda focuses on four main pillars of priority.

Pillar 1 concerns protecting citizens and freedoms. That is fine on paper but there are significant issues such as the persecution of Christians and some minority Muslim populations. The EU, as well the Government and this Parliament, has not had any meaningful debate on this matter. We seem to ignore it. It is remiss of us that we have not had any practical debate on this matter. The only debate was several years ago on a Holy Thursday - an appropriate date – when the Ceann Comhairle allowed it raised as a triple Topical Issue matter.

The second priority is to develop a strong and vibrant economic base. Again, with the onset of Brexit and the challenges it poses, this goal looks wonderful and admirable on paper. How is it going to be achieved, however, in the choppy waters when Britain leaves the EU in Hallowe’en? There are significant challenges ahead, particularly for the agricultural economy. To add to that we have the whole green dream. There has been a knee-jerk reaction to climate change all of a sudden. Who is blamed? The Irish farmers and rural dwellers. We are the vagabonds, the polluters. Nothing can be further from the case when many aspects of government are responsible. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, for example, refuses to allow bus lanes to be created on the way into Dublin. The Minister, Deputy Ross, will not countenance such obvious solutions which are as plain as the nose on one’s face.

Pillar 3 addresses creating a neutral, green, fair and social Europe. We are not neutral any more. Who are we codding? It is a case of rose-tinted glasses. We are not fair. The Government thinks we are greenhorns but we are not. This green agenda has to be dealt with holistically and equitably. Every sector should take its own responsibility.

Pillar 4 is about creating and promoting European interests and its values in the world. One has to wonder what the interests are when one sees the Mercosur deal. I met with beef and suckler farmers this morning, some from the Acting Chairman’s constituency. They are facing wipe-out. There is a €100 million package from the EU with €50 million backed up by the Government. However, no one knows what the guidelines are. No one knows how to get a penny of it. Are the dairy producers who are overstocked going to get part of this too? What will be left for a sector vital to the rural economy and villages? After much pressure, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, announced the programme but there is no sign of how it will be drawn down or will it be equitable. When it reaches the farm gate, will it even provide the price to buy two new farm gates or will it just be a few hundred euro? Again, it is lovely glossy PR document and spin.

Much of these pillar points are fine in principle. As I said at the pre-Council statements, however, we will need to see a far greater amount of detail, specifically when it comes to the building of a climate-neutral Europe. As the document states, the EU can and must lead the way in this by engaging in an in-depth transformation of its economy and society to achieve climate neutrality. It must, however, be conducted in a way that takes account of national circumstances and is socially just. That is the key requirement of the strategy which must not be lost sight of. There is not much social justice coming from EU policies. That is why we probably have Brexit. We know that this will present us with significant challenges when it comes to the agrifood sector.

The new strategic agenda clearly stated:

The EU also needs to take greater responsibility for its own security and defence, in particular by enhancing defence investment, capability development and operational readiness; it will co-operate closely with NATO, in full respect of the principles set out in the Treaties and by the European Council.

This is the kind of alarming talk to which I referred earlier. I am sure it will set off alarm bells for the Minister of State as well. Such talk has caused controversy in this House with respect to our involvement with European militarisation and the threat to our neutrality to which I have referred. This kind of speech is downright dangerous and very provocative. It is as clear as night gets dark or daylight comes in the morning that our Government, our Taoiseach, and Deputy McEntee, as the Minister for State with responsibility for European affairs, should say that although we are part of the European movement and we are a neutral country. We are being sucked into travelling down this road in our rush to be good Europeans and to curry favour with our European friends in advance of Brexit.

I agree, however, with the strategic agenda's emphasis on jobs. We need a strong economic base given that it is of key importance for Europe's competitiveness, prosperity and role on the global stage. I also agree with the view that as technological, security and sustainability challenges reshape the global landscape, we need to renew the basis for long-term sustainable growth and strengthen cohesion in the EU. The only part of the Council's statement that concerns me is its intention to ensure that we deepen EMU in all its dimensions, complete the banking and capital markets union, and strengthen the international role of the euro. This is, again something on which we will need to see much more detail given the potential that economic union has to disrupt the entire economies of smaller nations like our own.

The wording is quite bland, but also quite stark. The strategic agenda refers to "deepening the Economic and Monetary Union in all its dimensions, completing the Banking and Capital Markets Union and strengthening the international role of the euro". That should ring as hollow with the Minister of State and with her predecessors as it does with me. It sticks in my craw. When we needed a bailout, we got a total clean-out. When the IMF would lend us money at 2.9%, our so-called friends and colleagues in Europe charged us 5.9% or 6%. We are still paying that back while the bondholders were let off unscathed. They are laughing all the way to the bank because not only did the bondholders receive their money but they had insurance policies that would have repaid them for the collapse. The German and French banks shovelled money into Ireland when we knew that Rome was burning and that Ireland was facing economic meltdown. Where were our friends then? They told us to hump off. They fleeced us and they are still fleecing us. Where is the economic cohesion there? Where was the fairness and equity? Where was the support of our sister and brother countries in the European Union - ní neart go cur le chéile? Where was the support for little Ireland then?

It was nowhere to be seen.

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