Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I have been asked by my Independent colleagues to represent them here today. I am a member of the Independent group on the National Forum for Europe, to which the President referred, and of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs. I am also chairman of EuroCommerce, based in Brussels, which represents retail, wholesale and international trade. I thank my colleagues for asking me to say a few words on their behalf.

All Members of this House come from a generation which is only one or two generations removed from the fight for independence in Ireland. In view of this independence and nationalism were a very strong part of our upbringing. In 1958, after finishing university, I spent a year in Europe and I suddenly found myself torn between this sense of independent nationalism and becoming a European. I returned rather excited about that because that was the time Europe was forming itself into a united entity of some sort. The European Economic Community was founded and it evolved into the European Union. Concerns have been expressed in Ireland about this movement. People are concerned we will lose our identity and nationalism.

The subject of the debate is the Lisbon treaty and when we discussed it in the House a few months ago, I looked up the Laeken Declaration of 2001. I was excited about the declaration because it was like a breath of fresh air. I always have been a fan of Europe but over the years I have become a little depressed by the extent to which European institutions fail to engage successfully with the peoples of Europe. However, I was delighted with the Laeken Declaration because it created the constitutional treaty, which became the reform treaty. I was also delighted with the President's words. My colleague, Senator Joe O'Toole, said to me, "Did you hear the passion with which that man spoke?" That is what impressed me about what he said.

The Laeken Declaration states:

Within the Union, the European institutions must be brought closer to its citizens. Citizens undoubtedly support the Union's broad aims but they do not always see a connection between those goals and the Union's everyday action. They want the European institutions to be less unwieldily and rigid and, above all, more efficient and open and many also feel that the Union should involve itself more with their particular concerns instead of intervening in every detail in matters by their nature better left to member states' and region's elected representatives. This is even perceived by some as a threat to their identity and, more importantly, however, they feel that deals are too often cut out of their sight and they want better democratic scrutiny.

One can see why I was excited. However, on the basis of returning to first principles, which is important, I would like to pose a question to the President. Does the result we have to consider in the form of the reform treaty live up to these aspirations clearly set out in the declaration or, along the road, have the lawyers and the bureaucrats taken over the process so that instead of a new beginning we are presented with more of the same? I hope the President will consider this to be as important an issue as I do.

We should scrutinise the reform treaty from the point of view of Irish interests but we should also ask whether the benefits to Ireland exceed the undoubted costs of going along with the treaty. We owe the people of Ireland a duty to carry out that scrutiny legally and diligently. The reform treaty takes a decisive step in shaping the Europe of the future and it is incumbent on us to ask ourselves solemnly and carefully if this is the way we want to go and whether the treaty lives up to the Laeken Declaration or undermines the fine principles and aspirations on which it was launched. A reply will be very helpful to those in Ireland who will vote on the treaty shortly. I am aware of the President's enthusiasm and passion and I would like him to put this into the answers to those questions.