Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I remember entering the Civil Service as a young civil servant in 1972. The order of the day was mass migration — emigration. Our biggest export was our people. Our industry was basic and protected behind barriers. Our only trading partner of any order was the United Kingdom. Today we have become one of the most successful economies in the world. We no longer force our young people, our talent, our patrimony to leave our shores. As a nation, we have grown self-confident, progressive and dynamic in Europe because of Europe. As the President of the European Parliament said in this House earlier, we have added to Europe. We will vote "yes" because the Irish people value the peace that the European Union has shaped on the Continent and we recognise the support that Europe has given to shaping peace on this island. We will vote "yes" because we value a more democratic place. We value the ideas for which that the Union stands. We want a more effective and efficient Union. We want a Union that can champion peace, justice, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for the individual in an all too often troubled world. We will vote "yes" because, as a practical people, we recognise that the best way to deal with the major global challenges that face the world today is to combine our efforts. As was said this morning, the essential genius of the European Union was that by pooling small amounts of sovereignty, huge mountains were climbed. Above all, we will vote "yes" because the majority of the Irish people can see and are convinced our development, our place as a nation and our future economic well-being are best served by keeping Ireland where it has been for the past 35 years — at the heart of Europe.

I will be speaking to American Chamber of Commerce Ireland tomorrow morning. I was much taken by a document it produced which illustrates how much value there is in being where we are in Europe. This document was produced two months ago in Brussels. It points out that this island nation off the coast of Europe with a population of 4.2 million attracted $88 billion in US foreign direct investment to our shores in the period to 2006. In the same period Brazil, India, Russia and China attracted US$73 billion in such investment. That US$88 billion investment in this country produced jobs and resulted in prosperity flowing through our economy.

When Seán Lemass signed a document on 31 July 1961 to apply to join the then EEC, he could not in his wildest dreams have imagined the momentousness of that day. Ireland is the only country that will be asked to vote in a referendum on this treaty. I celebrate that fact. It is a good thing. Referenda are good things. Democracy is a good thing. If all of us on either side of the argument bring truthful arguments to the Irish people, the vote will be "yes". I hope that will be the case.