Seanad debates

Wednesday, 20 November 2002

European Communities (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage.

 

I am not sure that I agree with some of the other views expressed by the Senator. He will hardly be surprised by that. I disagree with him, for example, on his suggestion that saying the Irish people are generally happy with the balance displays a degree of complacency. He must accept my assurance that this is not the case. There has been a fair degree of analysis of where those balances are and what is most appropriate to Ireland as a small nation. He will accept, although I do not suggest that he wanted to go beyond this, that the current balances within the Community, broadly speaking, are very favourable to smaller states. We should be careful not to open a Pandora's box and disturb those balances. By being conservative in that sense, we know what direction is best for our interests. The Senator made a number of interesting contributions on the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights and whether it should be incorporated into the forthcoming treaty or annexed to it and how and where it will apply. Again, a wider debate is needed here.

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