Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is critical that we ensure in the funding under the next EU budget that the multiannual financial framework is sufficient to support a number of areas that are critical to this country. We need to have a fully funded Common Agricultural Policy. With regard to Europe's competitiveness, the Union's research budget should be sufficiently well funded. On the opportunities that are available to people and the DiscoverEU programme, which is currently only available to 35,000 18-year-olds, we should set a goal of ensuring that every 18-year-old has access to the programme and there is much more opportunity to experience other cultures in Europe.

See this speech in context