Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I wish to share my time with the Leader, Senator O'Rourke. I welcome the Taoiseach and thank him for taking time from his busy schedule to address the House. The Taoiseach has described the operational programme for the next year. The theme of the Irish Presidency is Europeans working together. The Taoiseach's goal will be to finalise the draft constitutional treaty, EU enlargement and the Lisbon Agenda.

The European Convention was established in 2001. It was asked to examine ways of bringing the Union and its institutions closer to its citizens, to ensure that it plays an important role on the international stage and to strengthen the workings of the institutions of the Union so that they operate effectively on our behalf. I acknowledge the contribution of the Irish delegation to the Convention. The delegation did tremendous work and prepared the groundwork for the draft treaty. The Government's approach was hands-on. The Minister of State, Deputy Roche, and other members of the Irish delegation made themselves available to this House, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs and also to the National Forum on the Future of Europe under the chairmanship of Senator Maurice Hayes. The delegation provided updates to the House on the developments of the Convention's work.

One of the challenges facing the European Union today is to keep citizens fully informed and engaged regarding developments which affect their daily lives in so many ways. The constitutional treaty must be more readable, understandable and accessible to the public. Scrutiny proposals are now a function of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs. If we are unhappy with the proposals from Brussels we can ask that they be reviewed and different proposals brought forward. In other words, the State can produce the yellow card and we can identify the implied warning signals.

The final stages of the draft constitutional treaty have been reached and consensus has been reached on most issues. It had been hoped to conclude negotiations at the Intergovernmental Conference last December and it was a disappointment that it was not possible to do so. The stand-off on voting strength will not be easily resolved and the fear of a two tier Europe remains a concern and a great challenge for the Union at this time.

Ireland comes to the Presidency with a reputation for patience and perseverance. It is an opportunity to portray our country in a very positive light. The challenge for the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs is to find agreement on a new constitutional treaty for Europe. The Taoiseach is strongly committed to making progress on the draft treaty and has attached the highest priority to this issue. He will spare no effort to build a consensus and facilitate an agreement so that the citizens of Europe will have a constitutional treaty that responds to their needs and expectations. The intensive process of consultation with his counterparts is already underway. If anyone can achieve this agreement it will be our Taoiseach. I wish him and the Minister for Foreign Affairs every success in the consultation and negotiations to achieve this end.

As the Taoiseach stated, enlargement will be a major part of the Irish Presidency. The new member states will join the Union on 1 May 2004. This will be an historic occasion. The enlargement will create a population of 450 million in the EU. Europeans can leave behind the divisions of the past and build a better Europe. I am delighted to hear that there will be a Day of Welcomes with major events and concerts in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the inclusion of these countries in the EU. The accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU on 1 May 2004 provides an historic opportunity for the Irish Presidency to encourage all parties to engage in talks for a united Cyprus. The enlargement process does not end on 1 May. The Irish Presidency will pursue accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania with a target date for 2007 and continue to monitor the situation in Turkey.

Now that Ireland is at the heart of Europe, the twin priorities of growth and employment will be part of the Taoiseach's ambitious agenda. I noted last week that the Taoiseach warned of a big gulf between the European Union's ambition, which is to be the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, and the reality. This gulf is very wide, despite the EU's ambition, stated in the Lisbon strategy, of catching up by 2010. We are still behind the United States and other global economies. I know the Taoiseach is determined to use the Irish Presidency to speed up reforms to achieve the targets set out in the Lisbon agenda. My time is running out, a Chathaoirligh, so I will end by——