Mr. Colm Markey:

A Chathaoirligh, Senators, fellow MEP and ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here at this time to begin this conversation. In the context of Covid, it is great to be here on the ground and to be physically in contact with people. For the first seven or eight months of my term as an MEP it was all virtual, so the idea that we can sit down, meet and converse together is very important. It is also very important and timely that this initiative and level of engagement have been taken between the European Parliament and the Oireachtas. It is a very important time in the European context, post Covid on one level but also because there is something of a crisis of identity in terms of where Europe is at this stage. That is part of the genesis on why we are having the Conference on the Future of Europe at European level now. It is very important.

As MEPs, we are struggling somewhat with getting people to engage with this whole process. At one level, there is a conversation within the EU circle on matters such as defence policy, vetoes and tax harmonisation. These are all issues that are very important but one thing Europe is struggling with at the moment is the idea of how it connects with the ordinary citizen and the ordinary person on the ground for whom these issues are often very disconnected. It is very important that through the Conference on the Future of Europe initiative which started in Europe this year, which will run for the next year or year and a half, we get meaningful engagement from ordinary people on the ground and that we make citizens the centre of that conference.

There is apathy out there we need to deal with and address. We have to look at what issues are relevant to the ordinary European person. If one looks at Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union speech last week, she focused a lot on some very key issues we have to focus on. Certainly, the likes of the initiative around young people, the Year of European Youth 2022, is very important. Equally, one line of the agenda is around the environment, particularly, and around all the challenges Europe faces in terms of international policy and a whole range of areas that are very important.

We have to try to find ways to bring this back to issues faced by ordinary people. If one looks at the Covid situation over the past 12 or 18 months, one will see that Europe, in terms of digital certificates and vaccines, became very relevant to ordinary people. If we can make Europe relevant in that sort of way, it will be very important. Europe has done a lot of work in recent times around matters such as cancer care and preventive medicines, which is where we can look at vaccines in other areas. Things like this make a difference to ordinary people, along with issues such as the whole obesity epidemic and positive mental health. These are all areas that are relevant to ordinary people on the ground. That is where we have to start. We have to look at matters for young people in terms of the element of general disengagement with politics and the body politic they have. Sometimes, politics at both European and national levels becomes about party politics and we have to bring it back to the issues. That is what we can, hopefully, do at the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The environment agenda is key. If we are talking about a dialogue between the Seanad and Europe we have to look at issues of common interest to both. The challenges we face in terms of our environment include the Fit for 55% package, where we hope to reduce our emissions by 55% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.They are enormous challenges to meet, yet if we approach them in the right way, we can get there. Obviously, in areas like transport, alternative fuels and renewable energy, there are massive challenges to meet, but equally, they are areas in which there are great opportunities. For example, from a wind energy perspective, we are probably best placed across Europe to take advantage of that. If you build into that the idea of alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, these are things that we in Ireland can be a leader on into the future. Offshore wind, particularly off the west coast, is something that could represent an opportunity for us to get an economic multiplier into our local economy. We need to ensure that we embrace the challenges and take the opportunities that they provide going forward, particularly in the rural Ireland context. We were always challenged in terms of the economic opportunities that exist in rural Ireland. If we get the technologies right, renewable energy will provide opportunities.

As the Cathaoirleach said, I am a substitute on the Committee onTransport and Tourism. One of the big challenges we face is finding alternative fuels for HGVs and aviation. If we can be a leader in the research in that area and, equally, in the transition from renewable energy to alternative fuels in this area, it is something that will be very relevant for Ireland and a massive driver in terms of regenerating our economy.

A key interest of mine is the area of agriculture in which in many ways we are a market leader. There is also a concern out there among the people in this sector in rural Ireland that in some ways agriculture is being targeted or faces major challenges in terms of meeting our climate goals. However, I think there is an opportunity there if we focus, in particular, on the concept of sustainability. Irish agriculture, certainly in the dairy sector, is recognised as the most sustainable worldwide. In beef and tillage we are not far behind either. If we can focus on sustainability, it will be the Irish farmers' friend. If we are leaders in the area of sustainability; we can be best placed to take advantage of the opportunities that will provide in agriculture going forward. It is a position that we need to focus on in particular.

There are other areas to discuss. We were here earlier in the year discussing Brexit and a number of other issues that I would like to touch on that are particularly relevant to the constituents of Midlands-North-West. However, I would like to bring it back to the Conference on the Future of Europe. There is a challenge there to address an apathy and concern about where politics as a whole is going. If we can create a vision and a strong link between this Seanad and the European Parliament, it will be a strength going forward. I look forward to hearing the Members' questions later.