Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

I refer in particular to the conclusions of the last European Council summit on Common Foreign and Security Policy, the need to enhance its development capabilities and strengthen Europe's defence industry, which essentially amounts to increasing spending on weapons and military technology. Let us couple this with the comments from the Minister of Defence to a NATO publication last year to the effect that neutrality is an outdated concept as well as a comment made at yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs to the effect that foreign policy should be a blend of force, development aid and diplomacy. What are the implications of these in terms of our charity and foreign and security policies?

The European Commission has issued a communication on the voting rights of EU citizens. Article 2 of our Constitution asserts the right of Irish citizens, whether at home or abroad, to play an active role in their country. To comply with international human rights standards, any restrictions on the right to vote should be reasonable, proportionate and necessary for a legitimate public purpose. This is the background to the comments made by the Commission against five European Union countries, namely, Ireland, Denmark, Cyprus, Malta and the United Kingdom. Complete voting disenfranchisement of citizens outside the state is mostly the exception rather than the rule for countries throughout the world. This is evident given that the five countries named have been addressed on the matter. I call on the Minister of State to comment on the recommendations the Commission has made and the Government's response.

The Minister of State commented on the interim assessment of the Europe 2020 strategy. When Catherine Day came to the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs it was noted that the consultation period would run from April to September. She remarked that it was an important opportunity to influence EU policy. How will the Government be engaging with that process? How does the Minister of State believe the Oireachtas should engage with the process?

The Minister of State is in a unique position in that he has sat in both Houses of the Oireachtas, he is a Minister of State and he has sat on the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. I have been privileged to be on the committee with the Minister of State and to have had the benefit of his experience. It is great to see that he is a Minister of State now. He is articulate about his portfolio.

When discussing the European semester process, Senator Noone noted the comments of Dr. John O'Brennan, who referred to a greater role for the Oireachtas. He suggested the Executive should not have all the power in setting the agenda on the European Union, what is being discussed and how it is discussed. The Minister of State referred to the European semester process, how the Oireachtas should provide input and that we should think about what we want to see in the process. During the summer the work on the input will be done by the Government. How will the Government work with the Oireachtas? The Minister of State is in a unique position in that he has sat in the Seanad, the Dáil and the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. How can the Government work with the Oireachtas and how can we work with the Government? What processes could be improved? How does the Minister of State envisage that we can all work together on the country-specific recommendations?