Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The Government welcomes this positive role. The energy and commitment we are bringing to bear on the Convention is absolute. When the Minister for Foreign Affairs addressed the Institute for European Affairs last January, he stated, "We have nothing to fear and everything to gain from a renewed Europe." I agree with this sentiment and I look forward to the closing phase of the Convention and the Intergovernmental Conference. Above all, I look forward to Ireland confidently shaping the treaty, which will be the treaty for a united Europe over the next 50 years.