Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

It gives me great pleasure personally and on behalf of the Fine Gael Party to welcome President Pöttering to Seanad Éireann. I welcome the tone and content of his remarks today; people will be very reassured by them. I thank him for the warm tribute he paid to the Irish men and women who have contributed to the development of the European ideal and for his tribute to Irish peacemakers and the Irish Army. We share the pride he mentioned in their contribution to peacekeeping over the decades.

President Pöttering has led with distinction the European People's Party, to which Fine Gael is affiliated, and is also a leading member of our sister party, the German CDU. In addition to welcoming him here today, I congratulate him on his recent appointment as president of the important Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly. It is an honour to have the President of the European Parliament in the Oireachtas at any time but it is particularly appropriate at this time given that Ireland is currently having a national conversation about the EU, its future and our role in it. This is taking place, of course, in the context of the Lisbon treaty. Fine Gael will tirelessly advocate a "Yes" vote and has already begun that process.

At a public meeting I held recently in my constituency, I noticed that many of the issues raised had nothing to do with the treaty. However, this happens all the time. Issues that are not covered by the treaty continue to be attributed to it. I agree with President Pöttering that we can never forget the fundamental importance of the European Union being a union of people, ideas and freedom. The project is aimed at bringing people together, maximising opportunities for citizens and harnessing the benefits everybody can derive from co-operation. The European Union has been very good for Ireland, not just for financial reasons but also for social and economic reasons. It has been very good for progressing the social agenda,——