John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

I join the Cathaoirleach and others in welcoming the ambassador, Mr. Bruton, to the House and in thanking him for honouring us with his presence here today. I also echo the words of the Cathaoirleach with regard to the ambassador and his contribution. We received the kind of intellectual power within an address which we have come to expect from Mr. Bruton. This intellectual power has characterised his entire career.

He made a very important point with regard to the psychological benefits to this country of EU membership, with which I very much agree. In many ways, the psychological effect on the country has been far more profound than the economic effect, even though that has been profound.

I have a number of questions for the ambassador, the first of which concerns the question of enlargement and the appetite for it. I agree with him about how successful the last enlargement was and how it was achieved so rapidly and smoothly, to many people's surprise. I wish to focus in particular on enlargement in respect of Turkey and the Balkan states. The appetite for enlargement seems to be waning. The ambassador probably expected the difficult question about Turkey.

Those of us who are members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs and who visited Turkey were struck by the fact that at administrative or official level, efforts were certainly being made to converge with European from a human rights and legislative perspective but that there was still a long way to go. How can we have a situation where a state wishes to join the EU but refuses to recognise a member state? I do not see how this is possible. Could Ambassador Bruton give us his views on the matter?

The other matter concerns the Balkan states. Countries like Montenegro appear to be very suitable applicants for EU membership. Is the appetite for enlargement waning? I believe it is among populations and the electorate but is it waning at Commission and official level?

In respect of inward investment, we should not underestimate the value of being an English-speaking democracy with all that this entails and the fact that we have been such a stable democracy. The challenge for us now is productivity and competitiveness. Mr. Bruton spoke about the contribution we must make and our rights and responsibilities, which is another matter related to EU enlargement. Does this inevitably mean or should it mean that we must participate in the defence of the EU? Can we derive the benefits, as we have done, and continue to be a member of the club without participating in its defence? Is this a very convenient place to be? Is sitting on the fence an Irish solution to an Irish problem?

I have a further question, which is similar to Senator Ross's question regarding Who's Who in Ireland and similar in style to the last question raised on the "Questions & Answers" programme. Does Mr. Bruton consider it is desirable for retired politicians to be part of our diplomatic service?