Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Ms Walsh and Mr. Markey are both very welcome. It is fantastic to be surrounded by my colleagues here today. This gives us an opportunity not only to examine what it means to be European but also to work together on a regional basis, which we may not have done in the past. For both of these reasons, I thank the delegates for coming along. The meaning of Europe and the European project is about coming together to act as one in our mutual interest. The same can be said of our parliaments and MEPs when they go out to Europe to speak, almost on our behalf or certainly on behalf of our constituents.

Acting as one has always been key to green thinking but we must be careful to remember that with membership of a large bloc comes great responsibility on the global stage. We talk about what we can get out of Europe but Europe also has an obligation beyond that. I think about us as human rights defenders, which the MEPs have spoken about. Ms Walsh has spoken very well about human rights and her passion for human rights. We have to look close to home. It is correct that domestic violence, which has not gone away and continues to be an epidemic, is part of a problem within Europe. We felt somewhat hamstrung when it came to acting on some matters, such as Afghanistan.

When we are considering changing what it now means to be Europeans and when we are having the conference, we have to go back to our core values all the time. That means that while we must be human rights defenders, our doing so must be based on pacifism, our neutrality and our sense of self as a nation. We must not be pushed into a stream that will ultimately see the destruction of Europe and go against the principle of being the responsible global citizen we are as a member of the EU and as a country.

The environment is the next big challenge. It is the current challenge. There are 73 Green MEPs in Europe. We do not have one in my constituency but both MEPs have spoken about the environment. It is important to have these conversations because the environment is not about one party; it is about all of us now. We all recognise that, not only in respect of the Common Agricultural Policy and all the funding that is available but also the broader issues concerning how we trade, which Senator Mullen touched on.

The real danger with opaque institutions is that there can be unethical practices. Trade deals must be borne in mind in this regard. I must ask a question about Mercosur, in particular. How will the MEPs vote? We face a major environmental danger in this regard, as does the agriculture industry in this country. Many trade deals are made in closed circles and the negotiations are conducted even before the proposals get to the European Parliament. How do the MEPs believe we can manage that? It is our responsibility. If trade is an EU competency, how do we oversee it as a country to make sure that all the deals live up to our values as global citizens?

My time is nearly up so I will ask some specific questions. I am sure there will be some hard-hitting questions but this is a good opportunity. It is the first of its kind. This makes the Seanad relevant and makes the European Parliament more relevant to the people within our constituencies, who are looking to see whether their issues are being brought up. This is a significant step. It is one of several initiatives by the Seanad to give back and to be relevant to our citizens.