Mr. Coveney, MEP:

It is an honour to speak in the Seanad for the first time. I congratulate those responsible for this debate and hope it is not the last time we have a long discussion on the Constitution for Europe before the people are asked to make a choice.

Mr. Coveney, MEP:

Senator Brendan Ryan said he voted against Ireland joining the European Union in 1972. I was born in 1972 and have never known anything other than membership of what has developed into the current European Union. As a result, I am part of a relatively young generation of people in Ireland who are confident, ambitious, who have fewer hang-ups about our closest neighbour than perhaps many previous generations and who are perhaps spokespersons for a more independent and sovereign Ireland than has ever existed in the past thanks, in part, to membership of the European Union.

Mr. Coveney, MEP:

Last week I attended an extraordinary debate in the European Parliament and listened to Members speak on the anniversary of the Second World War. What it signified for me was the difference in meaning of the European Union to the different countries. If one asks an Irish person what the European Union means to him or her, he or she will probably say it means sources of funding to build roads, tunnels and infrastructure, support systems for farmers, difficulties for fisheries and so on. If one asks a German what the European Union means to him or her, he or she will say it means peace and probably stability. The emotive contributions, particularly from the German leaders of the various groups in the European Parliament, were an example of how important is the European project to countries that are still at the heart of Europe. It was a timely reminder for many of the countries which joined later on and which were perhaps not involved in the two world wars to the same extent as many other European countries.

Mr. Coveney, MEP:

I turn to the constitution for Europe, the purpose of this debate. In simple terms, there are two strong benefits to this constitutional treaty. The biggest plus is that it is a simplification of what have been a series of incredibly complex treaties, although it will not win any awards for prose.