Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. This debate is very important. If one were to go out on to the street and ask people about the Europe 2020 strategy they would struggle to answer. Senators and the Minister of State have a role to play in improving that situation. In a way, he gets buried and caught in the detail because of the work he must do. Therefore, as other public representatives, it is up to us to try to tell the story of Europe better. It is good to see progress being made at this level. The European strategy is not simply about the economy; it is not a question of saying "It's about jobs, stupid." Europe is about much more. The strategy is an effort to address those other areas, which include poverty, social inclusion, education, and climate change.

Senator Leyden has rightly pointed out that the challenge faced by us all is how to ensure that the cohesion of the Union can remain intact. The recent terrorist attacks in France and Denmark show how fragile we always are. The European experiment has brought some challenges, and many people disagree with the European project, but for me it is very simple. Europe has remained largely at peace since the European Union was established. Obviously the European Union has grown, morphed and changed as time has passed. We ought not to forget that peace is very valuable and we should not take it for granted. Senator Leyden has said that sovereign states make their own decisions about what they will do. However, it is in our interest and our shared interest that our nearest neighbour and friend remain with us in the European Union and that we continue to work together.

Having looked at this at the mid-term stage, I recognise that the priority remains the same: how do we tell that story better? How do we say to people that what happens in Europe matters? How do we convey to people that decisions about issues such as employment, particularly youth unemployment, and the risk of poverty are big questions that the European Union, through its Parliament and Commission, grapples with and is trying to change? We still have not succeeded in conveying that message.

Europe faces serious challenges, not least the literal and physical aging of our community. People will stay alive for longer, and birth rates in certain European countries are low or falling. Therefore, we will have an enormous cohort of people over the next 20 to 30 years who will grow very much older. The question is how will we cope with that situation if we cannot currently cope with young people. The Minister of State listed the shocking statistics for youth unemployment of up to 51% in places such as Greece and Italy, as well as a high unemployment rate for Croatia.If we cannot employ our young people, how will we look after our elderly people, among whom we will be? It is a very sobering challenge and, in many ways, one to which we do not pay enough attention. We seem think it will be all right and that somehow we will work it out and it will be fine, but it will not be fine because there will be too many of us and not enough younger people in jobs. In part it is about jobs, as it always will be.

We have seen in certain early education projects here, particularly in Ballymun, in the UK and in the US, very strong evidence that early intervention at a very young age, particularly with young parents of young children, pays dividends of better concentration in schools, more children staying in school and more children with aspirations for the future. However, we still do not do enough of this. This is not just an Irish issue, as we do not do enough broadly speaking. Rather than trying to fix some of the problems which have already manifested themselves, it would seem most logical to start with those yet to be born, where we can make the greatest impact. I would love to see us driving this common sense approach to dealing with the many challenges in the Europe 2020 strategy and those which go beyond it.

I would like to address in particular the issue of regional development. I note the European Movement's observation that regional and local development are very important. It states, in not so many words, that it ought to be taken more seriously. I commend the joint committee's work in holding hearings, but the 2020 strategy will fail to deliver its targets on regional issues if it remains a top-down and non-inclusive process. In its report, the joint committee stated it encourages greater engagement between stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on a partnership approach.

I live in Sligo in the north west, which would be described by academics as a lagging region. It has lagged for a long time; in fact, it has probably always lagged. Various proposals have been put forward to support and encourage lagging regions. So long as we have lagging regions in countries, we will always have a lag which will pull against achieving big targets, such as those for employment. We must concentrate energy on regionalisation and take it very seriously. Bodies such as the Western Development Commission has put a lot of work into the creative aspect. Fáilte Ireland has put in an enormous amount of money into the Wild Atlantic Way, which will have a specific economic benefit through tourism. Much work has still to be done. As with the ageing issue, we do not spend enough time concentrating on the structures which ought to be put in place for regions in Ireland.

I commend the work being done by the Minister of State. The 2020 strategy is good and strong but it has many challenges. I wish the Minister of State well with his work and I thank him for his presence in the Chamber.