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

I thank the Senators for being present and for making time available today an important debate on the future of the European Union. I have to acknowledge that this debate takes place against the backdrop of ongoing uncertainty about Brexit, and rightly so. We are concentrating our efforts on making sure that we are prepared for 29 March and what that brings. I want to take this opportunity to restate that Ireland and the EU remain firmly behind the withdrawal agreement. The Government's focus is on seeing the ratification of this agreement but we must continue to prepare for all possible outcomes and scenarios.

A no-deal Brexit would be the worst outcome. It is not in Ireland's interests, it is not in the European Union's interests and it is certainly not in the United Kingdom's interests, but the Brexit omnibus Bill, which is currently proceeding through the Dáil, will help to prepare Ireland for some of the immediate impacts of no deal. It is focused on protecting our citizens and on supporting the economy and jobs, particularly in key economic sectors most exposed to Brexit. The Government is working closely across the Oireachtas to ensure that the Bill will be ready for 29 March and I thank Senators here and all of the Deputies as well for their co-operation and support in both Houses. It is clear that a Brexit of any kind means change but it is also one aspect of the debate on the future of the EU.

Something Brexit will not change is Ireland's commitment to our future in Europe. If anything, it reinforces it. Our membership of the EU is our greatest protection, not only from Brexit but from many of the challenges that we face today and those that we do not even know are coming down the tracks. That is why I am particularly pleased that the House has made time for this debate on the future of Europe but also the value of EU membership to Ireland at this particular moment.

Jean Monnet, who was so instrumental in the founding of the European Union, once said: "Make men work together, show them that beyond differences and geographical boundaries there lies a common interest." For more than 45 years, Irish men and women have been working together with friends and colleagues across Europe and we have found more than a common interest; we have found a common home. It is a home founded not on transactional interests but on the treaty-based values that underpin our Union. Those are freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. These are values that can never be taken for granted, that are ever more important in our turbulent world and on which we will build a common future. When the President of the European Commission, Mr. Juncker, addressed a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas last June, he stated that Ireland has acted as a founding member state - seeking the European approach and understanding that what is good for all in our Union is good for us all individually. As a nation that has so fundamentally benefitted from EU membership, we know better than most the value of membership.

We cannot attribute all that is good, or, indeed, all that is bad, in our society to the Union but it is undeniable that our country has undergone a remarkable transformation since we first joined in 1973. That transformation was only made possible because of our membership. I belong to a generation that has always had the privilege of two identities, being Irish and European. Like our values, it is a privilege we cannot take for granted. More than 50% of the population has always had that privilege. As I know from the statements delivered on Europe Day, Senators are all well aware that Irish support for EU membership is high. Among the general population, it reaches a 92% approval rating and peaks at an almost universal 97% rate among of young people aged 18 to 26.

Clearly, the privilege of membership is not lost on our citizens. However, we are also challenged to ensure that it remains relevant, and that those figures remain high, in the lives of those who have known only peace, the advancement of rights and the freedom to travel, study, work and make a life in any country in our Union - people for whom the European Union is the norm and not one of the most remarkable peace projects ever imagined. This is something that has shaped my priorities as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs. I have travelled around the country talking to schoolchildren, students and local communities in places such as Donegal, Galway, Cork, Kildare, my own constituency in Meath, and Dublin, to hear their hopes for Europe. I have listened to those in the charity and voluntary sector, farmers, fishermen, trade unions, employers, businesses and those focussed on protecting the environment. I have asked them about the future of Europe that they want to see. They told me that they want to be part of a Union that lives up to its values. They spoke about peace, co-operation, unity, solidarity and community and, most of all, they spoke about fairness. They said that they want the EU to continue to do what it does best. They support involvement in policies such as the Common Agriculture Policy, CAP, which is significant for Ireland, in regional development and in programmes such as Erasmus Plus.

They are also ambitious for the unfilled potential of the European Union. In a Union that provides the privileges of free movement of goods, services, capital and people, they want the completion of the Single Market - one fit for the digital age, one that includes goods and services, and one that Ireland has been particularly pushing for. They want more countries to join the eurozone. They want trade agreements, which are good for the economy following on from recent agreements that we have as a Union only recently secured. They want Europe to play a role in shaping the wider world and the future. They want to work together on the big issues that we face, such as climate change, migration and cyber security, that no one country can tackle alone.

Something that has become clear to me, however, in all of this is that our own people are not always aware of the work that is ongoing and that we are doing on their behalf or some of the European policies that are in place. On the other hand, sometimes they look to Europe to play a role in matters that rest with member states and that are national competences. The European Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, joined us at our national citizens' dialogue on the future of Europe in Dublin on 9 May last year. For all the big aspirations that we have heard from our citizens, she reminded us that people do not spend their time thinking about Europe and it is not a part of their daily thought. For them, politics continues to be local and about the reality of their daily lives. It is important, therefore, to recall the human stories showing the value of membership, to connect with stories and to connect with real lives.

In September, I had the pleasure of joining the Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, Senator Paul Coghlan, at the formal launch of the European Commission Representation in Ireland's publication, "45 Stories: 45 inspiring stories celebrating Ireland's 45 years of EU membership". Touching on almost every aspect of Irish life - culture, education and research, community, health, agriculture and fisheries, transport, business, environment and the consumer - the report gives concrete examples of the tangible difference EU membership makes to individuals and local communities. There are the foreign family holidays, of course, made possible by cheaper airfares brought about by the EU's Single Market for aviation; the calls and texts home made cheaper by the EU's roam-like-at-home initiative; the life-changing medical treatments facilitated by the EU cross-border healthcare directive; and the cross-border communities that have pulled together through the EU's programme for peace and reconciliation.I commend the European Commission on this and other initiatives to show how the EU is supporting our citizens in their everyday lives and their local communities. There is an onus on all of us to think about how we acknowledge and convey the benefits of EU membership.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae also joined us at our Europe Day event in Dublin and I listened to him carefully, as Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs. He reminded us that we must resist the temptation to blame Europe for problems and seize credit for its successes. This is particularly important this year when we - politician and citizen alike - take vital decisions about the future direction of our Union, not least the election of a new European Parliament in May. We must encourage people to vote to ensure they come out for these elections on 24 May. In turn, that Parliament will elect the next European Commission President and approve the new European Commission.

In May also, the leaders of the EU 27 will meet in Sibiu in Romania to discuss the priorities for the next institutional cycle. The Taoiseach will bring the voice of our citizens into that debate and into the preparation of the EU’s strategic agenda which will stretch from 2019 to 2024. We are currently working on a cross-Government statement that will set out Ireland’s priorities for the discussions in Sibiu. In parallel, my colleagues and I on the General Affairs Council are discussing the EU’s next long-term financial plan - the multi-annual financial framework or MFF - as part of the overall discussion. The MFF is negotiated once every seven years and we want them to coincide and work in parallel with each other. There is still a lot of work to be done to reach a common position. Each member state has its own priorities, as will the incoming European Parliament, and negotiations are always difficult. Budget negotiations may not capture everyone’s imagination, but in how we allocate our resources and finances, we can find a very tangible expression of what it means to be European, in that how we spend our money reflects our values and priorities, and this is no different when talking about a European budget. I take into these discussions what I have heard from our citizens and what public representatives and political parties across the board have contributed to this debate. Ireland’s top priority is to agree a budget of an adequate size and structure to meet the needs of the Union and our citizens, but also to deliver on our shared ambitions.

As a net contributor, the Government is open to contributing more to this budget but we must ensure European added value is met. A well-funded Common Agricultural Policy is a classic example of European added value. Likewise, we are strong defenders of the need to protect the structural and cohesion funding to ensure newer member states can benefit in the same way we have in the past. We also believe it is essential that we continue to fund other programmes that work well, such as Erasmus Plus and Horizon Europe, which will support the necessary investment in research and development, particularly for the younger generation. There is a saying that the best way to predict the future is to create it. As citizens of Ireland and the European Union, we are tasked with creating a future that matches the needs and expectations of our citizens, a future that lives up to our European values, builds on what we already have, prepares us to meet new challenges and allows the generations that will follow us to thrive. I look forward to hearing the contributions and perhaps answering questions from Senators.