Feargal Quinn (Independent)

Yesterday, I met a leprechaun who gave me a pot of gold and five wishes for the Irish Presidency. The first wish, reputation, was mentioned by the Taoiseach in his opening statement. I have been involved in European affairs in Brussels for the past years. When we started we were highly regarded but our reputation has since become tarnished. It is interesting to see how our reputation has improved again in recent times. The Taoiseach is doing a wonderful job in maintaining our reputation and the contribution he made today will enhance it further.

The second wish is speed. Since I moved from the business world to the affairs of State I have been amazed at how long it takes to get things done, especially in Europe. The Taoiseach spoke about good faith and good time. That is what I would love to see at the end of our six month term.

The third wish is competitiveness. I believe we can be competitive in Europe but we must recognise that our competitors are the BRIC countries. We must not hinder or damage ourselves in this regard. Ireland is Chair of the OSCE but we do not have diplomatic links with wealthy countries like Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. I hope that at the end of our Presidency people from these countries will know about Ireland and what we can do.

The next wish is the Common Agricultural Policy, which will be renegotiated in two years' time. Ireland currently exports baby formula to one in seven children around the world. We can do marvellous things if the CAP is reformed.

My last wish is the Seanad. I will not repeat what others have said. I believe we can convince the Taoiseach that the Seanad is worth keeping.