Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Commissioner. We had many great debates here when he was Minister and I wish him well in his role in agriculture. Taking up Senator Norris's point, there have been design faults in the way the euro ran and faults on both sides. It is a pity that there was not better co-ordination between the launch of the single currency in 1999 and the problems of 2008. We still need to get our act together in running the single currency. Like Senator Norris, I do not blame the Greeks. There were design faults in the euro. It should not be a lobster pot that is far easier to get into than out of. It is easier to leave the EU altogether than it is to leave the single currency. There is not enough fiscal federalism there. How is Greece supposed to operate a fixed exchange rate with Germany? It cannot improve its productivity and competitiveness in the fixed exchange rate regime. I hope to see a more analytical attitude and less patronising of Greece by the people in Frankfurt and Brussels who made a lot of mistakes in the design of the single currency.

I welcome the reports on Saturday that the competition policy people in Brussels are to look very closely at the British Airways takeover of Aer Lingus. It may take longer than the normal 90 days. This was a disgraceful, anti-competitive exercise - a profitable, cash-rich airline being taken over a competitor with the object of reducing competition. The euphemism used is "consolidation". The Commissioner knows, Ireland knows and former Commissioner Sutherland knew that the more airlines we have, the better. The intervention by the British competition authorities in respect of the Ryanair shareholding in Aer Lingus was an outrage and should be opposed by everybody who is elected to the Irish Parliament. I hope that in respect of the anti-competitive elements, such as the Heathrow slots being allocated to one company overwhelmingly, British Airways having acquired Aer Lingus, it cannot have a monopoly on the routes to Ireland. There must be competition on the north Atlantic routes, which we developed from Dublin Airport. People from Manchester are flying to Dublin with Aer Lingus. Now that Aer Lingus is part of British Airways-IAG, that competitive threat is removed. The consumer was completely neglected. There is a one-page document on the library of these Houses on the policy regarding that takeover. It was anti-competitive and competitive access should be desired.

People in Ireland have to be somewhat cautious in respect of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. The Commissioner is cautious in his speech. It is felt very strongly in the UK that too much sovereignty has been transferred to Brussels and is not always exercised in the British parliamentary tradition. I fear that too much interference by Irish people in the UK referendum could push it to a vote to leave. They are not likely to take advice from outside. It would be a tragedy if they left because as is the case with the single currency, the Franco-German alliance that runs the single currency would make the EU less democratic. The British parliamentary tradition is the greatest asset it brings to Europe and I hope it stays for that reason. Patronising the English in particular with our advice on how they should vote in a sovereign decision for their people could be counterproductive.