Ms Emer Costello, MEP:

I thank Senators for their comments and questions. I found the debate stimulating and interesting. It reflected on various aspects of my work. I will go through the questions and answer what I can. If I cannot answer I will revert to the Senator who asked the question with additional information. I will answer questions in the order in which they were asked but there may be cross-over on some issues raised.

Senator Leyden and Senator Colm Burke raised the issue of Palestine. I am aware of the Seanad?s strong tradition in monitoring what is happening in the Middle East. When I was in the West Bank recently a number of people from Fatah inquired about former Senator, Mick Lanigan. They remembered him fondly. That was a good experience. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the Friends of Palestine and to update it on events.

The situation in Palestine is serious. I am fully supportive of a two-state solution whereby Israel should be allowed to live freely and securely within its borders, but equally that the Palestinian state has the right to self-determination and that Palestinians have the right to statehood. That was endorsed recently by the important vote at the UN where it was accorded non-member observer state status. Only one European country opposed the decision, namely, the Czech Republic. It is interesting that Europe facilitated the decision. It is the start of the recognition of Palestinian statehood. A huge body of work remains to be done in that regard. The window of opportunity for the two-state solution is narrowing all the time. As we are aware, the Israelis have retaliated with the idea of expanding the settlements in the E1 area just outside Jerusalem. I have been there and I have seen the settlements. I have been to Ma?aleh Adumim. The expansion of the settlement in the E1 area will effectively divide the West Bank in half and it will mean that a contiguous Palestinian state will not be possible. We must monitor the situation. I have been briefing the Tánaiste on the issue.

We still have to see how the new Israeli Government will evolve. It has not been fully formed yet. It is evident from the election results that Israelis voted on many different issues, including social issues. Not all Israelis are preoccupied with the Palestinian conflict. It is important that we appreciate that fact. I was in Israel in October when I met with many civil society organisations and we discussed issues other than the Palestinian conflict. We could spend a long time on the issue. As other speakers have said, the EU must not just be a payer. We are the largest single donor to the Middle East and to Palestine. If we are going to be a payer we must also be a player. I do not believe we are achieving our true potential. I have raised the issue with Baroness Cathy Ashton, the High Representative, in the European Parliament on numerous occasions. I would be happy to send Members the speeches I have made and what I have said to Baroness Ashton in that regard. The EU could play a strong role.

I understand a new initiative is under way. Baroness Ashton is committed on the issue. We must accept that Europe is in a difficult position, as is Baroness Ashton, because while there is talk of Europe speaking with one voice we are 27, soon to be 28, member states and we do not speak with a unified voice on the Middle East. That is a cause of concern. Sometimes when she is criticised it is because she cannot articulate a view in the absence of a unified approach from member state governments. We must take that on board in terms of the EU response to the issue. There are complexities involved. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the matter with some of the committees.

A number of questions were asked about the EU 2020 strategy and the youth guarantee. The youth guarantee is not a cure-all. It will not end youth unemployment. We are not pretending it will. We are saying there is a crisis of youth unemployment in Europe where the average level is approximately 24% but some countries have 50% to 60% youth unemployment. It is crucial that we deal with the issue. We have seen the experience in countries that implement a youth guarantee in that there are low levels of youth unemployment. There is an opportunity at European level to introduce a project that would take that on board. A total of ¤6 billion has been set aside for youth opportunities and youth employment initiatives in the MFF. In the Parliament we believe that it should be more. The sum of ¤3 billion is coming from the social fund and an additional ¤3 billion will be provided.

A few Members referred to the JobBridge scheme and the positive experience with it. I accept there is concern about internship programmes. On the one hand we have the youth guarantee and on the other we should have a quality framework for internships and traineeships. That would ensure the trainees and interns would not be subject to abuse and that proper monitoring would be put in place. JobBridge is a good model that perhaps other countries could follow. Significantly, we have seen that 60% of participants in the scheme move on to employment. However, we need a quality framework. I recently attended a conference in the European Parliament on youth unemployment. The room was full with 400 young people in attendance. The moderator asked how many young people had done one internship. A total of 99% of those present put up their hand. When asked how many had done two, the result was 95%. More than half of those present indicated they had done up to five internships. It is not acceptable that we have that level of internships. Sometimes my own institution, the European Parliament, makes great use of interns, who are often unpaid. That is not acceptable. In the European Parliament we must ensure that we have guidelines and a code of practice on internships. The youth guarantee is one piece of the jigsaw and I very much welcome it. It is fortuitous to be present in the Seanad on the day the youth guarantee is announced and is coming to fruition. I agree with Senator Reilly that we need to have jobs for young people and that we must train them and upskill them. However, one must also ask where they will go when they finish their apprenticeships and training. We must also be able to move young people from training and internships into jobs.

We must achieve sustainable growth in the European economy. That is why I believe the European budget should not be seen as a measure of expenditure and that countries fight each other and say they will not put money into the European budget. They should see that contributing to the European budget is an investment in growth not an expenditure item. We must hammer home that message. That is why the European Parliament is concerned about the budget before us. We accept there were a lot of negotiations and that what was agreed on 8 February was the best deal that could be achieved but we in the European Parliament have major reservations both about the amount in the MFF and also some of the content and how the MFF is to be structured and delivered in the next seven years.

We have given our group leader, Johannes Swoboda, a mandate to negotiate on our behalf. Senator Clune mentioned the Oireachtas committee on jobs. The European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs met in Dublin in early February. To answer a question asked by Senator Bacik and others, we discussed the youth guarantee and how and where it could be implemented. The committee met representatives from Ballymun jobs centre. The work being done in Ballymun is hugely impressive with regard to regeneration and involving people from the community at all levels of life. A life-cycle approach is taken in Ballymun. From the time a woman announces she is pregnant, she is taken on board by the various services. It is an integrated approach so that when a baby is born, the mother has the supports. As the child progresses through child care, preschool and school, an integrated approach is taken, including looking after after-school care and health care. As the young person develops and evolves, youth activities are also integrated in the approach of youngballymun. I was hugely impressed with the programme. Ballymun jobs centre ties into it, which provides support to those seeking work. The committee was hugely impressed with what it saw.

We also visited the Digital Skills Academy and saw the types of activities it does. Many future jobs can be created in new media and intranet technology. I will host a conference and exhibition in the European Parliament next Tuesday, which will be opened by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, the Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. It will showcase Dublin as a smart, innovative, creative and connected city. Dublin City Council will be there as will Intel, the DCU Ryan Academy, TCD and IBM Smarter Cities. Some Senators referred to the fact that when I was Lord Mayor, one of the areas I prioritised was Dublin as a creative, innovative, outward and forward-looking city.

I made a submission to the joint committee on jobs and we examined the youth guarantee. I very much welcome the work of the committee and the support we have received from its members. Deputy John Lyons has been very active on the issue.

Senator Quinn mentioned safe food and asked whether we have been tarnished. The European Parliament looked awry at the situation unfolding in Europe. I understand that two years ago, the European Parliament came up with proposals on food labelling and dealing with the origin of goods, particularly mixed goods, but the Council did not agree with them. The European Parliament is not taking any pleasure in what is happening, but it did indicate it could be an issue.

Senator Moran asked a number of difficult questions, as is her wont. With regard to the food programme we are engaging very much with non-governmental organisations. I held a European Parliament seminar here on 8 February with approximately 100 attendees, many of which represented non-governmental organisations. I engaged widely with NGOs at European and national level. I also met German, French and Belgian NGOs. Many of the amendments I submitted took on board the issues they had brought to my attention.

For the report to progress through the European Parliament I will examine the amendments to try to see whether we can table compromise amendments and bring them to committee. Amendments will be considered in March. We will also examine compromise amendments then and see how we can work with our shadows in the other groups. The European Parliament is a wonderful place because it is not adversarial. It is a bit like the Seanad.