Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which will be a huge trade arrangement between the US and the EU, could create an extraordinary opportunity for a diverse range of companies in Ireland to perform even better in the US. It is incredibly important to us that such trading relationships should deepen in a rules-based environment. That is what the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are focusing on.

I would like to speak about the institutional agenda and the significant transitions and leadership changes which lie ahead this year. When I mention the "institutional agenda", I am referring to the Parliament and the European Commission. As many Senators will be aware, a new European Parliament will be elected in May. A new President of the European Commission is due to be appointed in the summer. Consequently, a new college of Commissioners will be appointed in the autumn. There will also be a new President of the European Council, a successor to Catherine Ashton as high representative, and a new chair of the Eurogroup. These elections will be the first European elections to be held under the Lisbon treaty. Our experience during Ireland's Presidency of the EU reminded us how significantly the treaty has expanded the power of the European Parliament. Its role in shaping and determining European policy, as co-legislator with the Council, has never been stronger. It matters like never before.

I will give a practical example in this regard. Senators will be aware that all Members of the European Parliament come together in plenary session every month to vote on the initiatives and proposals in front of them. We ensure an Irish Minister is present at each plenary session to meet all the Irish MEPs and engage directly with MEPs from other countries who are voting on legislative initiatives or proposals that matter to us. We repeatedly see practical examples of the European Parliament's role in affecting things that matter here at home. I will mention two such examples. Senators will be aware of the debate that is taking place at present about the role of plain cigarette packages. As this will be a Europe-wide initiative, in order for it to be developed it had to be voted on directly and agreed by the European Parliament. It is a growing sign of the significance of the European Parliament that a debate at that forum yesterday on a Commission document was reported on by RTE news. The comments of various MEPs were given particular relevance and prominence in the report.

Following the implementation in full of the Lisbon treaty, and in light of its role in initiating and strongly influencing legislation, the European Parliament is now an incredibly important forum for our country. Another example of that can be seen in the case of the banking union, which I referred to earlier in this speech. The next phase of the agreement of the European banking union will take place within the European Parliament.

There will be Members of the European Parliament within the committee of the Parliament and then within the plenary of the Parliament who will be voting on concepts and initiatives that have a material impact on something that is in our national interest. May's elections will provide the public in Ireland and across the EU with the chance to influence this direction. A total of 751 MEPs will be elected, more than half of them new MEPs. MEPs have more power than ever to make a positive difference in Europe. If there are any Senators present who are considering the European Parliament as another forum within which to make their views known and influence the development of legislation, I assure them that if they consider this move and are successful, they will find it is a forum and Parliament in which issues and legislation are debated that will have a very important impact on our country and the people we all represent. It is a forum that will play an increasing role in Ireland. Each time a Minister travels to the plenary session in Strasbourg, which happens every month, we make a point of meeting all the Irish MEPs to discuss issues that matter to us. I acknowledge that every MEP from every party and none will turn up to participate in those discussions because of their desire to understand what we are trying to progress within Government and to be constructive on behalf of our country.

I will now address external relations and touch on some topics I know are of interest to colleagues and that have been raised in this House in recent months. I will touch on developments with Ukraine. Despite the difficulty we have within the EU, many of the countries I visit that are outside the EU look at the way we govern ourselves nationally and the arrangements in place across the Union as something they want to join. They see this as a huge source of support for their people in trying to develop their prosperity and security and in trying to meet the aspirations of their citizens. On those visits, I have also become extremely aware of the challenges that many of these countries are facing. I will touch on what is perhaps the most prominent of them, which is that relating to Ukraine. I had the privilege of representing our country, along with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November. While we saw Georgia and Moldova agree new association agreements with the EU, we saw Ukraine decide not to participate in that arrangement and decide instead to find alternate ways of developing its economy, society and country.

It was clear even when I was at that summit and the meetings that happened around it that this decision would have very profound and historic consequences for that country and region. That then became very clear to me a number of weeks later when I had the opportunity to visit Kiev when I represented Ireland at the OSCE ministerial meeting. During that visit, I took the opportunity to go down to Independence Square where I spent nearly two hours meeting the people down there. I did this as Minister of State representing the country but I did not really make any attempt to draw any attention to what I was doing because I wanted to talk to people who were out on the streets and see why they were there. Why did they feel like this? To touch on a point I mentioned earlier, it became extremely clear to me that what they were looking for was a relationship with the Union to develop their country and deal with some of the difficulties they face. It also became very clear that this was something about which they felt extremely strongly and for which they were determined to continue to campaign and agitate within their society. When I arrived at Independence Square that night - I did not have the opportunity to get down there until around midnight because we had such a full day - it was below freezing and there were tens of thousands of people there when the focus on it was just starting to develop to the levels we have seen.

This is something in which the EU has continued to be very engaged. The Irish Government has communicated directly to the Government of Ukraine via our ambassador our very strong message that restraint must be exercised on both sides, particularly from the side of Government given the role it plays in all of this. As members of the Foreign Affairs Council, we have continued to call on all individuals and actors involved in this to find some way of coming together through inclusive dialogue to agree a democratic solution to the crisis. High Representative Ashton who is a member of the Commission who looks to represent Europe in certain areas has played a very significant role in Ukraine and in Kiev in trying to move forward. We believe these efforts would be greatly assisted if the authorities were to launch a credible and urgent investigation into the many reports of violence and intimidation by security services. There can be no impunity for anybody playing a role in that kind of alleged violence and the alleged crimes perpetrated on people there.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina. All will be aware that this is a country scarred by serious and horrific violence in its recent past but which, with the support of the EU, is attempting to forge a better future. I was very much aware of the fact that when I flew into Sarajevo last week, I was flying into a city that, just over 20 years ago, had endured the longest siege in the history of modern warfare and a country where, less than 20 years ago, many large parts were no-fly zones because of the scale of the war that took place in the aftermath of the break-up of Yugoslavia. During my visit, I had the opportunity to meet Bosnia-Herzegovina's equivalent of prime minister, who is the chairman of the council of ministers, the foreign minister and the committee of European Union affairs. I also addressed a public meeting that took place in Sarajevo on what happened to Ireland in recent years and the learning and experience that may be of relevance to the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In December, the EU reiterated our unequivocal support for Bosnia-Herzegovina's EU path. It also highlighted our concern at the limited progress to date in meeting key conditions and the responsibility of its leaders to resolve these issues. During my visit to Sarajevo, I reaffirmed these messages in respect of the need for the country, government and leaders to make progress on the Sejdić and Finci v.Bosnia and Herzegovina ruling. This ruling looks to ensure that any member of the communities within Bosnia-Herzegovina has the opportunity to stand for public office and participate in public life. I also emphasised the need for a very strong co-ordinating mechanism to be put in place to enable and allow that country to deal with the EU.

Earlier in the year, I was the first European minister to visit Albania following the decision of the European Council in December to grant candidate status to the country in June on the understanding that it continues to build on the encouraging progress made so far. There, too, I brought a message of support and encouragement. I met the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and representatives from all of the political parties. It became clear that there is strong willingness on behalf of the Government and the public to hear that message. There is a clear commitment to the reform agenda, which demonstrates the very positive role the EU can play in that neighbourhood.

I emphasise some of the recent broader historical developments in that region. I refer to the role of the European Union in brokering an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo and dealing with many issues which appeared gravely difficult. I refer to the courage of the governments of both countries in making progress and the pivotal role of the European Commission represented by the EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton. I refer to the progress being achieved by Serbia in developing its relationship with the EU. In the months ahead I hope to have further opportunities to engage with eastern and southern neighbour countries to help them to deepen their links with the European Union.

I continue to invest significant time in developing our bilateral relationships. Tomorrow afternoon I will travel to Berlin to meet my new counterpart, Minister Roth, the recently appointed Minister for European affairs. I will also visit Warsaw to meet the Polish Government. In between I will visit Strasbourg to continue the engagement with the European Parliament. Between the end of August and December I made more than 20 different visits to countries or institutions to further develop our EU Presidency profile. To name but a small number I visited Italy and Greece. When visiting Brussels and Luxembourg I took the opportunity to engage with the institutions. I have spent a significant amount of time explaining the Irish priorities for the European Union, including making this clear in the current UK debate-----