Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Following the comments on the role of citizens, I would like to touch on turnout at elections for the European Parliament. In 1979 it was 62% but fell to 43% in 2009. Of the 27 member states, 18 were unable to secure turnouts of more than 50% in 2009. Of those, 11 had turnouts of less than 40%. The Eurobarometer survey from last December showed trust in European institutions has been on a downward trend since 2007 and that 33% of people trust EU institutions.

Does Mr. Higgins think greater European integration will wide the gap between European citizens and EU institutions? Is there a real appetite for further integration? How might democratic legitimacy and accountability, thorough parliamentary oversight, with distinct roles at national and European Parliament level, be more clearly defined?

How does Mr. Higgins consider that national parliaments, including the Dáil and the Seanad, if we are still here in the coming years, might strengthen their role under the European semester programme?

In regard to the current debates on the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, an issue that struck me in going through the drafts is the notion of macroeconomic conditionality. Is that still on the table in terms of the Cohesion and Structural Funds? What position is Mr. Higgins's party group in the European Parliament taking on macroeconomic conditionality and is he working to oppose it? It is intended that agreement will be reached on the MFF regulation at the June plenary meeting of the European Parliament. Does Mr. Higgins expect that the Parliament will give its consent in this regard?

In terms of the MFF and how it links in with the Irish Presidency, we have been repeatedly assured that the issue of youth unemployment is a pillar of the Presidency. There was an agreement with the Council for funding of €6 billion under the youth employment initiative of the MFF for 2014-2020, but that is being held up until the MFF is agreed by Parliament. The Council recommendations acknowledge that youth unemployment is a major issue and that measures to address it must be implemented as soon as possible. Does Mr. Higgins accept that member states cannot afford to wait for agreement to be reached on the MFF before action in this area commences? I acknowledge that the funding for the youth employment initiative will not be released until that agreement is secured, but is Mr. Higgins of the view that member states should be making preparations for its roll-out, which might include a consideration of the necessity for matching funding? After all, the provision over six years of €6 billion across all member states with youth employment of more than 20% will not be adequate to tackle the issue.

The end of Ireland's Presidency coincides with the one-year anniversary of the June 2012 European Council meeting which called for the link between banking and sovereign debt to be broken. How much progress has been made on this issue? Does Mr. Higgins see a real appetite for change in this regard in Parliament, including within his own political grouping?