Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if in the context of discussions he has had with his EU colleagues or applicant countries, there has appeared an indication of re-nationalisation in terms of the future commitment of the European concept; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20018/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is true to say that the referendum results in France and the Netherlands have given rise to a degree of uncertainty about the future direction of the European Union. As always, there are those who are fundamentally opposed to the very principle of European integration. From my discussions with EU Ministerial colleagues, however, I have found no evidence of any loss of confidence in the European Union. Indeed, there continues to be a widely held belief that the challenges facing Europe are best confronted through concerted action under the auspices of the European Union.

What we need to do is to find ways of making the Union function more effectively and deliver better results for our citizens. European policies such as the CAP, the Structural Funds and the Internal Market, to name but a few, have served Ireland particularly well. The idea of renationalising such conspicuously successful policies lacks credibility and holds no attraction for Ireland or for the other Member States.