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

I have continued to do all I can to support the development of our relationship with member states and with the EU institutions. I believe we continue to make progress in many areas but I am aware of how much more needs to be done and developed. I am aware of the work we need to do to ensure that banking union comes about and in such a way as to enable our own banking system to develop in the way required and allows us to tackle many of the issues. I am also aware of the priority and importance of initiatives such as TTIP. I refer to the European Parliament elections and changes in the European Commission. I am aware of the need for Ireland to develop and maintain its voice during this period of change. What gives me great encouragement in my work is my understanding of how the Irish public is aware of the role Europe can play and its willingness to debate it and to be informed about it. A tangible example was evident in my visits to two Irish universities last Monday. I will be visiting all our universities in the coming weeks to discuss opportunities in the European Commission and to discuss Ireland's role in Europe. For each of those visits hundreds of students turned up to hear about those opportunities and to be informed about them. This was tangible evidence of the growth of interest in recent years.

Our task is to draw on the goodwill and the strong relationships generated throughout the Irish Presidency, reinforced by our programme exit, in order to deepen our influence and enhance our effectiveness in the Union.

I began my contribution by emphasising that the past year has shown the resilience and adaptability of the Union but it has also shown the extraordinary resilience of our country and its citizens. I look forward to the work ahead. I am very confident about the path Ireland has taken. As Minister of State it is my privilege to play a role in ensuring that we move forward on that path and always to the benefit of the people we are all very privileged to represent.