Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I raise the issue of the decision to be made shortly on the appointment of the first President of the European Council. The name of John Bruton, a former Taoiseach and leader of the Fine Gael Party, has been mentioned along with a number of others. He was one of the first people to be mentioned for the role. The reports in the newspapers today on the imminent gathering of the Heads of States and Governments to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall suggest that at this meeting, the issue of selection will be discussed. Unfortunately, the possibility of John Bruton's selection is looking a little more remote now.

I suggest that anybody in this House, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Taoiseach do their best as this is a critical time, with no decision having yet been made. The position seems to be very fluid and different names are being mentioned every couple of days. The former Taoiseach has experience from the position he held in Washington DC and as a member of the presidium which formulated the convention on the future of Europe. For all these reasons he is particularly well qualified to be considered for the position.

As we discuss our economic future in the Chamber this morning, having an Irish person in that position as first President of the European Council would be a good sign for Ireland. It would show our influence at the highest reaches of the European institutions. I suggest that the Leader asks the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny within the EPP to use their good offices to promote in the time remaining the candidacy of John Bruton.

The Eurobarometer results this morning from a survey after the Lisbon treaty referendum indicate that Irish people have once again displayed swing behaviour in their attitudes to the European Union. The results of the Eurobarometer survey suggest there was a last-minute swing towards supporting the Lisbon treaty, and people's concerns about the Irish economy seem to have fed into their willingness to support the treaty. There is a fundamental ambivalence about the direction of the European Union and pace of integration and the results of the Eurobarometer survey show this. We must help Irish people connect to a much greater extent with the European project and for that reason, the conversations we are having about our own reform mean we must look to a greater extent at covering European issues.