Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senators from all sides who, I understand from my colleagues who were present prior to my arrival, made a very constructive contribution to this most important debate. I congratulate the Seanad for taking the opportunity to engage in a comprehensive discussion on this important issue and I thank it on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, in that regard.

Senator Ormonde and others rightly identified the progress we have made on the issue of the size and composition of the Commission. There were fears for a considerable period that some of the smaller countries would have junior commissioners without the capacity for any major input, but that difficulty has now been overcome, thanks, in no small measure, to the contributions of our representatives. This is an advance on what was agreed at Nice, which would never have been generally accepted by many of the smaller countries which would have been obliged to have a junior commissioner. Ireland will be able to nominate a commissioner at all times. This is a significant step forward and it respects the key principle of equality between member states. I strongly agree with the Senators who stated that one of the key points is that all representatives will be called commissioners.

Senator Ormonde welcomed the move towards granting greater power to national parliaments and I fully agree with this. The draft treaty contains a number of proposals that will be strongly welcomed by citizens throughout Europe and particularly those in Ireland.

Reference was made to the horizontal provision in Articles 51 to 54 of the charter. The horizontal provision was amended to allay the fears of those who felt that the charter would be used to extend the competence of the Union without changes to the treaty. The new horizontal provision clarifies the scope and application of the charter to ensure that it applies only to the EU institutions or the member states applying EU law. Article 54 has not, in fact, been amended, but has remained intact.