Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position of Ireland in relation to the proposed Treaty of the European Union that is envisaged to replace the formerly proposed European Constitution. [18654/07]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the recent European Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18693/07]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the European Council meeting held in Brussels at which the proposed European Constitution was debated; the position which Ireland took at that forum in relation to a European Union Foreign Minister; the decisions taken at that meeting; and what is to be debated at the next such summit meeting. [18655/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the recent EU summit is expected to reaffirm the European project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19081/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 123, 144 and 289 together.

The Government are pleased with the outline of the Reform Treaty that was agreed at last month's European Council meeting. The Reform Treaty will amend the existing Treaties in various ways so as to create a more efficient and effective Union that can better serve Europe's future needs.

Our principal objective going in to these negotiations was to retain the substance and balance of the draft Constitutional Treaty that was agreed in June 2004. This objective was achieved in that the great bulk of the 2004 agreement will be incorporated in the Reform Treaty when it is finalised later this year.

In the wake of the referendum results in France and the Netherlands, it was necessary to make certain changes to what had been agreed in 2004. The changes decided on at the recent European Council included the dropping of the constitutional title and the removal of the reference to the EU flag and anthem, although these will, of course, continue to be widely used throughout the Union. Moreover, the Charter of Fundamental Rights has been taken out of the Treaty, but will retain its legally-binding status. National Parliaments have been given an enhanced role in the Union's legislative process.

There will be an opt-in/opt-out arrangement for the UK in the field of criminal and police co-operation. We will need to decide in the coming months whether or not to join that arrangement. Although the double majority voting system will not come into use until 2014, the overall institutional package from the 2004 agreement has not been reopened. This was a key requirement of ours throughout these negotiations. Ireland also succeeded in getting agreement to include commitments on combating climate change in the new Treaty.

At the European Council, it was also agreed to change the title of "Foreign Minister" to "High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy". The role will encompass also the responsibilities of the current High Representative for CFSP. The new title is certainly more cumbersome than 'Foreign Minister', but the role and function of the High Representative are unchanged. Our position in these negotiations was to minimise the changes to the previous draft Treaty and this has been achieved.

The next step in the process is an Intergovernmental Conference to be convened under the Portuguese Presidency to look at the technical and legal aspects of the new Treaty. The IGC will commence work in late July and will, hopefully, conclude later this year. This will allow time for Member States to ratify the new Treaty prior to the European Parliament elections in 2009.

The European Council has shown once again that Member States can reconcile their differences and reach agreement even in the most difficult circumstances. The Reform Treaty will create a more effective Union to serve Europe's future needs. The agreement at the June European Council will enable us to put the Union's institutional debate behind us and to concentrate on delivering tangible benefits to our citizens.