Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the House again for providing the time to allow these statements to take place today. It is clear there is great knowledge, but also a great passion, among Senators about this issue. It is clear also that, for the most part, we share the same focus on outcomes, meeting citizens' expectations and recommitting to the values that have allowed the European Union to prosper and move forward as it has in both good and bad times. We need to acknowledge that.

Before I respond to some of the points made I want to thank all those Senators who contributed to the debate and assure them that their contributions are being listened to and that they will form part of the wider debate that will proceed in the coming weeks and months, and into the next year. I will meet with my opposition counterparts in Luxembourg early next week and I will accompany the Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to the European Council later on where the future of Europe debate will continue. I wait with interest to see where that takes us also.

I spoke at the outset about the important role the national parliaments in the functioning of the European Union and the work they do to bring institutions close to the citizens. After today's debate I am convinced that that is very much the case.

I will deal with some of the Senators' comments. I would very much agree with Senator Leyden. In the 45 years Ireland has been a member, first of the European Economic Community and now the European Union, we have benefited hugely from that membership. We have gone from being a small, inward looking country that had less contact with European countries and the outside world to one which, for the fourth year in a row, will be the fastest growing economy in Europe. We have access to a population of 500 million people, and we are thriving as a result of our membership of the European Union.

I will touch on Brexit briefly because I did not mention it earlier. It is the elephant in the room. We can lament the loss of friends and allies with the United Kingdom leaving the EU. However, we have to be realistic and accept that it is leaving the EU and we are not. The conversation on the future of Europe has already started and we must ensure that we are very much part of that conversation. We cannot allow it to pass us by. Brexit is a priority but if we look at some of the other European countries, the further east we go the less of a priority it becomes. In fact, issues such as security and defence, migration and the financial issues are more of a priority and we need to make sure we are at the front and centre of that.

Concern was expressed by many Members that in terms of the speeches of President Macron and President Juncker, and other members states, they are getting carried away or that there are areas on which we would not agree. I welcome any Head of State who wants to spend an hour and 40 minutes talking about the future of Europe. That is very positive. However, there are areas on which I agree and others on which I do not agree. That forms a strong basis for a debate where we can engage. There are also areas on which Ireland can lead.

On the issue of looking at countries to join, that is an area we will not see slow down. After the Brexit decision there was a fear that it would encourage other countries to consider leaving the European Union or to move further away from it. In fact, it has had the opposite impact. Countries are looking to move towards Europe and be part of the European Union. We are talking with the Western Balkans and we are looking at Serbia and Montenegro. That conversation is continuing, and I hope to visit the Balkans if not this year then early next year to continue that conversation.

With regard to Catalonia, we must look to the values on which we have built the European Union, namely, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. In that regard, upholding the constitution and the rule of law in all its aspects is key to underpinning modern democracies. Ireland respects the constitutional and territorial unity of Spain. It has had referendums in the past but on those occasions they happened in accordance with the law of the State. That was not the case with the recent referendum in Catalonia.