Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like everybody else I welcome Ms Prendergast back to the Seanad where she played a very active part over a number of years. It is great to see her facing us rather than with her back to me as it used to be.

I had the duty of being president of EuroCommerce for three years and vice president for another three years. EuroCommerce represents the 6 million shops in Europe, a sector which employs the very large number of people, 31 million. I found a constant battle between those who wanted more European control and those who believed in subsidiarity. Subsidiarity states we pass laws as close to the citizen as we can, but it is a continuous battle to avoid going the other way.