Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he will be expected to make a positive contribution to the future development of the European Union to ensure cohesive thinking in the areas of job creation, crisis management, enlargement, foreign policy and adherence to the European project to ensure that the development of the Union in the next 50 years is as positive as the past half century; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46826/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The European Union is a project whose historic scale and importance allows us to look towards developments in the decades to come with a confidence based on its achievements over the past half-century in building peace and prosperity in Europe. On 9 May next year we will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Schumann Declaration which has been called Europe's birth certificate. In the depths of the Cold War, that visionary statement proposed both a grand political project and a practical economic plan.

The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty earlier this month, following its emphatic endorsement by the people of Ireland, marks a new phase for the European Union. As supporters of the Treaty stressed during the referendum debates, the Lisbon Treaty is designed to allow the EU to act more coherently and cohesively, both within the European Union and externally. The Treaty provides the EU with a number of instruments to facilitate concerted EU action on important issues like job creation and in responding to the economic and financial crisis. There are specific measures aimed at achieving greater coherence for EU actions in the wider world, ensuring that the EU's resources support activities are in line with its external policies.

At the highest political level, the European Council is now an institution of the European Union with its own President. The European Council is charged with providing the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and defining its general political directions and priorities. The new President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy will work to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council. The European Council met for the first time last week under the Lisbon Treaty and, among other issues, it held an orientation debate on ideas for a new EU 2020 strategy. I argued in the General Affairs Council last week for a strong focus on jobs, growth and innovation in the new strategy.

The new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, will bring a new consistency and coherence to the Union's actions in the wider world, particularly in her capacity as Vice-President of the Commission. When I spoke with her recently, I underlined Ireland's support for her new role and I look forward to working with her, particularly in the Foreign Affairs Council which she will chair.

As regards my own contribution to the future development of the European Union, I will participate in the two new Council formations: the General Affairs Council and the Foreign Affairs Council. The General Affairs Council has been given responsibility for ensuring consistency and continuity in the work of the different Council configurations. With my colleagues in the General Affairs Council I will be working closely with the President of the European Council and Commission in preparing the work of the European Council. In the Foreign affairs Council, I will be involved in the formation of EU positions on foreign policy and security matters, including international crisis management. As the Lisbon Treaty arrangements are implemented, I will be working with partners and within the EU institutions to ensure a significant EU contribution to policies which will deliver results for our citizens commensurate with the Union's goals.