Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to have this debate. As Senator Richmond said, it is an opportunity to highlight that it is not a polarised debate which we often see, of being for or against Europe. There are many of us who are passionate about Europe. I worked for many years with the European Women's Lobby, the European Anti-Poverty Network, and with others in civil society across Europe. Now I am very lucky to be able to represent this Chamber in the Council of Europe.

Inter-European co-operation is crucial but we must be free to approach it in a critical way and we must give Europe the respect of putting forward critical and challenging positions. I am concerned about the scenarios that have been outlined so far in this debate on the future of Europe. These include the scenarios put forward by the Commission and by Mr. Juncker and Mr. Macron which force on heavily the speed of integration. We would have a two-speed Europe, which is something I deeply oppose. There is little discussion or nuance on the far more important question for Europe today, which is the question of direction. For example, we need to look at not only what we are doing but how we might do it differently and how we might do it better. Is it not the case that greater co-operation should not automatically mean greater centralised decision making? That seems to be the assumption underpinning so many of the scenarios that were laid out here today.

On the muscles of the Commission, how do we make the Commission more accountable to citizens? How do we ensure that the European Parliament is more robust in its legislative role and able to genuinely put proposals on the agenda for discussion? Can we ensure that we have greater transparency and engagement around the Council of Europe? The European Semester process is meant to be a conversation between governments and European institutions. I have had the opportunity to sit in on those conversations and they can be narrowly focused on fiscal targets with complete neglect of the other common European pledges in areas such as the Europe 2020 commitment to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Can we not challenge all of those muscles that are already there? Can we not challenge how they are working and make sure that they work differently and in a more accountable way?

As Europeans we face three serious challenges and Ireland needs to find its voice and speak up on them. First is the question of peace building as opposed to securitisation. Securitisation is not the same as peace building. Europe has been neglecting the work of peace building. Referring even to the Minister of State's list of priorities, I note with some regret that we talk about the prevention of international crime and terrorism but we do not talk about peace building. If there is a country that should be championing that voice in Europe, it is Ireland. We see that Europe's diplomatic and peace building skills have been neglected. That is particularly evident in the past week or two in respect of Catalonia when there has been an absolute failure to step into the space of peace building and diplomacy and a retreat into an extremely narrow interpretation of rule of law and implementation of law.

Implementation of law takes places in the political context that is set by all of us as political representatives, legislators and representatives of citizens and their concerns. There is a real need for Europe to find its voice on peace. We have benefited from it in Ireland and we need to step up in that regard. In Ireland, we have the extraordinary history of Frank Aiken, an Irish Minister who in 1958 initiated the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. I had the opportunity to be present when Ireland sealed the negotiations on a global ban on cluster munitions in Croke Park in Dublin. We have seen Eamon Gilmore, a former representative of these Houses, play a key role in the peace negotiations in Colombia. Ireland has an extraordinary record in peace building and as a peace broker. We have played a global and a European role and we are an asset to Europe as well as the world in that respect. That is why I share many of the concerns expressed about Mr. Macron's proposals, which seem to be pushing us towards a militarised Europe and a narrow response. Ireland must take a stand on this and it must defend its unique contribution as a neutral nation and peace builder.