Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a great Bill to bring into the House and shows the work we can do in this regard. Ireland has a close relationship with Croatia in that it will never forget that discussions started on it acceding during the last Irish Presidency of the EU and that it is at the end of the current Irish Presidency that the country will become a full member state.

There are benefits for both sides. Irish citizens will now have the full right to work in Croatia, just as Croatians will have the right to work here. That could be of benefit because there are many skills we have here that might have not been developed to the same level in Croatia. I have been to Zagreb and other parts of Croatia and I agree with Senator White that it is extraordinarily beautiful country, as is Ireland. As a former trade Minister, I know we have the opportunity to promote Irish trade in Croatia. We have a relationship with them, and these things matter a lot because Ireland has proved to be a friend of Croatia. The skills that were built up here during the years of the property bubble for architects, engineers, builders, site workers and specialists who would add to the workforce in Croatia, will help it develop dramatically.

Croatia has a very close relationship with Germany. Many Germans have holiday homes in Croatia and both countries have relations that go back quite some time. The relationship we have with Germany is extremely productive. When I was Minister, we were always welcome in Germany, as we will be in future in Croatia.

The one regrettable point is that when we voted for the Lisbon treaty, people did not realise we would lose an MEP because Croatia has become a member state. It is not Croatia's fault; it is a result of the arrangement of the European Union that the limit is 751 MEPs. If another country becomes a member state, such as Turkey, we will end up with six MEPs, the same as Malta or Luxembourg. That is a very difficult situation for the country. We need good MEPs in Europe and more of them, but we will get fewer.

The restructuring of constituencies is yet to be decided. I note the Government did not veto the reduction, at least at this point. Perhaps there have been discussions at Cabinet level we do not know about. The veto could still potentially be used although there is still a limit to the number of MEPs. If Germany lost one or two MEPs, it would not matter too much, they are closer to the centre of power. On the periphery of Europe, Ireland needs extra MEPs and we should negotiate for that. It is a fact that we are the most isolated country in Europe, with all the others being on the European mainland.

From tourism and industrial points of view we are on a winner and the Government is to be commended for being courageous enough to offer full free access to our labour market, even though we are under pressure. Equally, Croatia is under pressure and, on balance, it is of benefit to this State to have free access to this member state, as it will be beneficial to Croatia to have access to the Republic of Ireland.