Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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75. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which efforts are ongoing within the European Union to address the issue of euroscepticism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53488/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Euroscepticism is not new but in recent years it has become stronger and more vocal. In the Rome Declaration of March this year, EU Heads of State and Government pledged ‘to listen and respond to the concerns expressed by our citizens’ and to “address the challenges of a rapidly changing world.”

The EU has emerging from a period of crisis and is moving forward to a new more positive phase. The setback suffered by populist parties in a number of recent European elections and the return of economic growth to all EU countries have contributed to this new optimism. To maintain this impetus we need to ensure that the EU is delivering practical improvements to the lives of citizens through policies to promote jobs and growth and by addressing internal and external challenges such as migration and international terrorism.

The public launch of the Citizens’ Dialogue on the Future of Europe by the Taoiseach last month marked the formal start of a process designed to engage the Irish public directly in a debate on the kind of Europe they want to see evolve. Our aim is to raise awareness of the issues involved; to encourage participation in the debate; and to use this engagement process to formulate Ireland’s contribution to the wider European debate and specifically to President Tusk’s Leaders’ Agenda, an ambitious work programme for the EU for the next two years.

Engaging meaningfully with our citizens across the Union and responding to their concerns is the best means of ensuring support for our work on EU issues.