Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I did not interrupt the Senator. He asked a question and it is common courtesy to allow a person to reply to a question. I respect the Senator's right to ask a question; he should respect my right to reply to it. I wished to make the point, not to be aggressive or to increase the Senator's blood pressure, that there has been a lengthy debate. In both Houses, too, we have seen a huge demonstration of support for the treaty.

The debate also demonstrated that the Union has brought great benefits to Ireland. The reform treaty will continue that. Yesterday in the Czech Senate we discussed this treaty. The one thing the Senators were interested in was how to emulate Ireland. How can anybody say this country has not gained immeasurably from participation in Europe? How can anybody who has opposed joining the Union, the Single European Act, the Amsterdam Treaty, the Maastricht Treaty, the Nice Treaty twice and now opposes the Lisbon treaty suggest that they are pro-Europe? The Bill will be debated on Committee Stage and then the people will have their say.

The reform treaty has simple objectives even though it is a complex document. It will make the European Union more effective than ever and more efficient in conducting its business. It will make it more democratic, as Members of the House have attested, by expanding the amount of democracy in the Union. It will give the Union, for the first time, a clear and coherent voice on the world stage. Whatever our differences in this House or in this debate, we would all agree that the values of Europe are values that should be expressed on the world stage. The values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, the rights of minorities and workers' rights, which are central to the European project, should have a coherent voice on that stage. There has been one loud voice on the world stage for the past few years and other loud voices are beginning to be heard, but they do not espouse any of the causes we espouse in Europe.

The treaty will ensure equality of treatment between the member states. Equality is written into the treaty in a way it was never written into previous treaties. The treaty also offers a clearer explanation of the distribution of powers between the Union and the member states. Most importantly for those who are nervous about moving forward — there is always reason to be nervous about that — this treaty ensures that the vital national interests of each member state are recognised. It ticks all the boxes in that regard.

We will continue to bring the message to the people, and I am grateful to the Opposition parties for their support. The treaty is about making Europe and, by extension, Ireland more efficient and effective and more capable of dealing with the challenges in the world. It is about Ireland's position in the world — a confident, outward-looking, focused Ireland. It is the type of Ireland Senator Alex White spoke about in his fine speech. We are a confident people, we have made a mark and we are capable of defending our rights, as we have shown over 35 years.

We should focus on our sovereignty. Until we joined the European Union, the only sovereign right we had was to export our sons and daughters and to live in a country that was continuously under the shadow of a near neighbour who was not always benign to us. Our exports went to that country. When we joined Europe we liberated ourselves as a nation and when we broke the link with sterling we learned to stand on our own feet. We have shown, under different Administrations led by different political leaders, a capacity to use Europe for our benefit as well as for the benefit of the 500 million other citizens of the Continent.

I commend the Bill and I am grateful to the House for a wonderful debate.

Cuireadh an cheist: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois."