Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will try, but I cannot guarantee. We are having this discussion on foot of a decision by the people of the United Kingdom to vote to leave the European Union just over a year ago. Even if the people of the UK had decided to remain, or a referendum was never held, we would have had to have had this discussion because Europe needs reform and change. This has been said by many people many times over. Therefore, I welcome the position paper printed by the European Commission laying out the five clear options for the future of Europe. There are many varied options, all of which deserve attention, but one which I feel is not viable is the option of simply doing nothing. That does not get us anywhere or bring about reform of the European Union to bring it closer to the people and reimagine what the European ideals should all be about. A cursory glance suggests a combination of elements of options four and five may probably be the best approach for Ireland, doing more but doing more better in a smaller area and focusing in. The EU really needs to ram home exactly what it means to people and how it can benefit people.

I also welcome the lengthy speech, referenced by the Minister of State and Senator Leyden, by the French President, Emmanuel Macron. I welcome it because I do not know the last time an EU Head of State got up for almost two hours and spoke about Europe. It was a really strong weighty speech that looked at some serious issues. I consider myself as pro-European as it comes, but there are key aspects of the speech with which I simply do not agree and which I believe are strongly against the best interests of Ireland. The vision of European federalism put out by Emmanuel Macron is very much a French vision of European federalism, and we must be very careful that we can respect those opinions but disagree. That vision perhaps suits the French and some type of Franco-German alliance, but we have to see the reimagining of Europe to make sure it meets the needs of all 27 member states post-Brexit.

I must put on record my absolute disappointment in the wake of the Brexit referendum that the six original member states of the European Coal and Steel Community saw fit to meet among themselves in Rome, leaving out the other 21 member states. This cannot happen any more. The idea that some people are more European or committed to the project than others is quite backwards. In this vacuum I see a vital role for Ireland. Ireland can easily take this opportunity to be the lead nation among small and medium member states and lead the majority 21 member states that were not in the original European Coal and Steel Community to lay out exactly what sort of future Europe we want and what Europe we want to see in 2025 and beyond. Therefore, I ask the Minister of State in the strongest way possible to bring this message back to An Taoiseach, our friend whom we know well and for whom we voted very recently in a different election. I ask her to lay down the challenge to the Taoiseach to assume that leadership role in Europe and allow Ireland become the counterbalance to France and the bigger nations and put himself in the driving seat opposite Emmanuel Macron, and state we do believe in a strong Europe and Ireland is committed to Europe, but that we can assert Ireland's role in Europe and on the global stage by taking a proactive leading role in designing a Europe that is not just suited to the large member states and is reflective of smaller member states and allows them to protect their interests, such as maintaining a competitive corporation tax rate, as referenced by Senator Leyden.When people talk about Ireland being at the heart of Europe it cannot be just a slogan. Taking such a stance and laying out such a vision is a key way of making sure that Ireland remains at the heart of Europe. The EU is absolutely wonderful but the reason for its coming into being and its positive impact on our daily life is I fear being taken for granted, particularly by the generation I share with the Minister of State.

The EU is the greatest peace project known to man after what was probably the worst conflict in the history of mankind. People were able to come together. This is what the EU is about, pooling steel and coal and making sure the tools of war could not be brought out again. That is simple and that is what it goes back to but it has become so much more. It means we go to Spain on our holidays and not have to fret about converting pesetas to punts every time we go into a shop. It means we can go to France, Bulgaria or Poland without having to get a visa and to The Netherlands or Scandinavia without having to get a work permit, if we have an opportunity with one of the large multinationals such as Microsoft, which has bases in my area, Sandyford and in Copenhagen. We need to reimagine what that Europe means and lay out clearly what the future of Europe will be and how it will benefit people. We cannot just say this is what Europe has done and people should be grateful because the more we do that and forget exactly what it can do for people, the more people become sceptical about it, the more the laziness creeps in.

We as politicians have a responsibility to portray Europe in the fairest light and not to take the politically opportune moment to blame Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg for something we do not like when it is probably our responsibility, or take credit and say, "Look what we have delivered", when it came through Structural Funds or negotiation at EU level. We criticise it when it merits criticism and we praise it when it merits praise. Simply using it as a punch bag when it suits us will lead to the rise of Eurosceptic movements of petty nationalism, which brought the UK out of the EU and which are on the rise in countries such as Germany with the election of a what is essentially a Nazi party so many years after the Second World War.

I am absolutely enthused about the upcoming week's debate that the Minister of State is going to lead. I wish her well with her partners in the Commission, the Parliament offices, the Institute of International and European Affairs, IIEA, and the European Movement Ireland. This is one of the most important matters that we will deal with as an entity of 450 million people. It needs to be taken seriously and engaged with at every level of society because if the people take ownership of the European project it will last for many more years. It has been around for only 60 years. It is great that it has lasted this long but it is now facing its greatest threat and its greatest opportunity.