I am delighted that we have the opportunity today of a special sitting of the Dáil to debate Irelands sixth Presidency of the European Union.
Todays sitting of the Dáil provides us with a valuable opportunity to discuss the issues on the agenda of the European Union during our Presidency. A number of these issues will impact upon us for many years to come.
One of the challenges facing the European Union today is the need to bring Europe closer to its citizens. We have to strive to keep people fully informed and engaged on issues and developments that have real and significant impacts on their lives.
The Dáil has a critical role to play in this. Work done here enables the representatives of the people of Ireland to get to grips with the external forces that shape our world. Here we can strive to understand the challenges that face us now and into the future. We can also work to mediate the outcomes so that they benefit our people without disadvantaging anyone else.
In this context I want to praise the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs. The Committees work to ensure adequate scrutiny of European Union proposals is highly significant. In a globalised world, with the European Union as our framework,understanding, engaging with and influencing the EU legislative process is of fundamental importance. The Committees work goes to the heart of promoting and protecting the interests of the Irish people. And its work strengthens the European Union. In an enlarged and ever more complex Union, the work of the Committee and the debates we have in the Dáil are likely to become even more important.
It is both an honour and a privilege for Ireland to assume the Presidency of the European Union. For six months we will be in the driving seat, seeking to move agendas forward and looking for the best possible outcomes.
Significant efforts have been made recently to ensure that each Presidency acts within a coherent and coordinated framework. For the first time, a Multi annual Strategic Programme involving six future Presidencies was agreed at the European Council last December. As the first Presidency-in-Office of the six,Ireland drove this process. The end result is a document which sets out the broad framework for action in the European Union up to the end of 2006.
In addition, over the course of last year, Ireland and the Netherlands worked together to produce an Annual Operational Programme. This sets out in some considerable detail what is on the agenda for the European Union in 2004. It provides an overall focus and direction for our two Presidencies and serves as a context for our individual Presidency Programme. All of these Programmes have been laid before the Dáil and the Presidency Programme has been distributed to each Member of the Oireachtas.
I would like to outline for Deputies the key features of our Presidency Programme and set out our key aims and objectives over the coming months.
But first let me review some developments to date.
A Good Start
It is nearly three weeks now since Ireland assumed its sixth Presidency of the European Union. In that time we have made a good start.
On the first of January we launched the Presidency with a flag raising ceremony in Dublin Castle. A number of days later, on6th January, the first full meeting of our Presidency took place when my Government colleagues and I met the European Commission. We had a very useful and productive series of meetings both in plenary session and bilaterally. These meetings offered us an early opportunity to establish a commonsense of purpose with our colleagues on the Commission.
Last Wednesday, I travelled to Strasbourg to address the European Parliament Plenary debate. In my address I outlined the priorities for our Presidency and had an exchange of views with the members of the Parliament.
I am very much aware that a close and constructive working relationship with the Commission and the Parliament is vital for a successful Presidency. A good working relationship is also essential to progress the collective work of the European Union. I believe that both of these engagements,with the Commission and the Parliament, have established the firm foundations for a successful partnership over the six months of our Presidency.
Partnership goes to the heart of our approach to the Presidency and is reflected in its theme: Europeans Working Together. Our theme embodies the shared vision of the people of Europe working collectively for common objectives.
Our Presidency has come at an exciting and historic time for the European Union. The addition of ten new Member States from the first of May and the work that is ongoing aimed at agreeing anew Constitutional Treaty for Europe are just two of the major challenges that face us. Our Presidency Programme is set against this background.
Intergovernmental Conference
We have pledged to progress the Intergovernmental Conference.
Last summer the European Convention produced a Draft Constitutional Treaty that is written in a simple and clear style. The text allows the ordinary citizen to know what the European Union is, what it stands for, who does what and why.
The Convention text of the draft Constitutional Treaty provided a good basis for the Intergovernmental Conference which got underway last October. We had all hoped that those negotiations would result in agreement in Brussels last month. To our disappointment this did not prove possible.
We believe that a new Constitution would enable the Union to respond better to the demands and expectations of its citizens into the future. It would make the Union more democratic,more accountable and more transparent. It would put in place structures to enable it to operate more effectively.
We are grateful to the Italian Presidency for the good work that they did during their term. Significant progress was made and this was due in no small part to the efficiency and determination with which the Italian Presidency approached the negotiations.
It now falls to us to try to make further progress. At the European Council last month, I undertook to consult with partners and to make a report to the Spring European Council.
I want to assure Deputies that we are determined to do whatever we can to encourage and facilitate the earliest possible agreement.
We have already clearly demonstrated our intent. I have been undertaking an initial round of consultations with my counterparts. Further contacts and visits with partners are planned over the coming weeks.
My soundings to date suggest a willingness to support our efforts to progress the IGC during our Presidency. Our approach is supported and all have indicated a willingness to help us find a way forward. I will continue to explore with my counterparts how and when progress in the IGC can be achieved.
There are still a number of key issues to be resolved before agreement can be reached on the Constitutional Treaty. There is broad agreement, nonetheless, on many important elements. We are attempting to encourage a spirit of compromise and commitment and to build the consensus necessary for agreement. If it appears at any time that agreement is achievable, you may be assured that we will seize that opportunity.
This is an issue of the highest priority for our Presidency and we will spare no effort and leave no stone unturned to make progress during our term.
Enlargement
Welcoming the ten new members to the Union on 1st May will be an immense honour and key highlight of our Presidency. It will be a momentous time in the history of Europe as old divisions are at last overcome and East and West are united with the common purpose of ensuring lasting peace, democracy, stability and prosperity.
We have been working for some time now planning A Day of Welcomes for the first of May. This will consist of a major event here in Dublin to welcome our new partners into the European Union. This event will be complemented by a series of community arts and cultural events in locations around Ireland, including concerts in Dublin and Belfast, broadcast live throughout Europe. These cultural events will aim to share and celebrate the very great diversity of Europes cultural heritage.
Enlargement on this scale is also unprecedented in the Unions history. While it presents clear opportunities it also presents challenges. A key priority for us will be to respond effectively to one of these challenges: ensuring that the Unions business is conducted effectively and efficiently in a new enlarged context. We will work to ensure a smooth transition from a Union of fifteen to one of twenty five, integrating the new Member States fully and effectively into the structures of the Union.
We also have an important role to play in terms of progressing the Unions agenda for future enlargement. In relation to Romania and Bulgaria we will advance the Unions aim of concluding negotiations in 2004, with a view to their accession in January 2007, if they are ready. We will also work to support Turkeys efforts to fulfill the necessary criteria with a view to a decision being made at the European Council in December2004 on the opening of Accession negotiations.
Lisbon Agenda
The enlarged European Union must work effectively for all its people and it can best do this by promoting sustainable growth and employment.
Four years ago, at the Lisbon European Council, we agreed on the goal of making the European Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world. The programme of economic & social reform that has been undertaken to achieve this ambitious goal is known as the Lisbon Agenda.
The enlargement of the Union also offers a new dynamic framework for implementing and driving forward the Lisbon Agenda. We will work throughout our Presidency to support the new Member States in making real progress towards achieving the Lisbon goal. During our Presidency, I am committed to ensuring that the goal of a truly competitive European economy, capable of delivering sustainable growth, more and better quality employment and social progress to its people, is progressed in a meaningful way.
Next year, we will be half way towards the 2010 target date set at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 and already we have achieved a great deal. We have seen advances in the areas of research and development, financial services, liberalisation of energy markets, environmental protection and regulatory reform. It is now much easier for workers and students to move round the European Union to access jobs and education; it is easier to set up and run a small business; consumers are starting to see the benefits of cheaper heating bills; significant strides have been made in terms of equality and social protection. And the European Unions commitment to the environment means a cleaner and safer world for our children and our grandchildren.
Despite these achievements, it is increasingly clear that unless we increase momentum, we will not meet the overall Lisbon target of making Europe the most competitive economy in the world by2010.
I am very aware of the urgency of the situation and of the need to speed up reforms. We are fortunate at present that positive signs of economic progress are emerging, both in Europe and internationally. It is imperative that we make the most of the current positive economic outlook. We intend to use this years Spring European Council to give renewed focus and impetus to the Lisbon Agenda. Achieving the overall goal and targets will require substantial commitment from European institutions, political leaders, and also from social organisations at European and national level.
We must increase our efforts at individual Member State level to implement those reforms and legislative changes already agreed, if we are to reap the full social, sustainable and economic benefits.
An example of this is the Internal Market. We have an agreed European Union framework for the Internal Market. However, the Internal Market can only achieve its full potential if legislation agreed at European level is effectively implemented and applied by all Member States.
In Ireland, we have been playing our part over the last year to clear a backlog of EU legislation awaiting transposition into Irish law. I am delighted to report that figures published by the European Commission last week show that we have exceeded the Unions1.5% deficit target in transposition of Internal Market Directives. We are now ranked joint third among the five Member States who have exceeded the target.
Transposition, of course, is only one part of the equation. We must continue to press ahead with implementing further reforms: maintaining the status quo will not improve Europes economic standing, competitiveness or employment rates.
I have written to my colleagues in the European Council setting out my proposed approach and the key elements of the Lisbon Agenda on which I intend to focus at the Spring European Council. Our primary focus is clear: sustainable growth and high quality employment are our twin priorities. I intend that the Spring European Council will have a real debate on the most pressing economic and social challenges facing Europe.
Investment in physical and human capital to support higher rates of growth across the EU economy, while equally continuing to maintain macroeconomic stability, is one such challenge. Such additional investment is necessary to support both growth recovery and to further Europes transition towards a knowledge-based economy. To this end, we will encourage investment in physical capital, human capital as well as Research and Development.
Competitiveness, of course, is the key to European growth. While the Internal Market has indeed been one of the Unions most important achievements, we see the further development of the services sector as the remaining motor of growth and job creation. The remaining obstacles to trade in goods and services must be removed if the full benefits of the Internal Market are to be seen by business and consumers alike. In this context, the Commissions recently published proposal for a Directive on Services is welcome. We will work towards advancing this dossier during our Presidency. We must also press ahead with regulatory impact assessments, to ensure that the impact of new proposals on competitiveness is properly assessed.
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Europe at present,however, is the need to create more and better employment. We welcome the focus and practical country-specific messages in the report of the Employment Task force, chaired by Mr. Wim Kok. We will work with our European colleagues, the Parliament and the Commission, to urgently progress its recommendations, alongside the Employment Guidelines.
Among the issues we must address are promoting greater adaptability by workers and companies; supporting higher rates of labour force participation, particularly participation by women;and eliminating barriers to people moving from welfare to work.
I also look forward, during our Presidency, to promoting opportunities for social dialogue at EU level. We will work with the European Social Partners through the Tripartite Social Summit, to boost their involvement in achieving the overall Lisbon goal. I believe that by using all of these channels, we will involve the representatives of European citizens.
Before leaving the Lisbon Agenda, I also want to flag that next year, 2005, will offer a unique opportunity for a mid-point review of the overall process. How to stay on course to realise the Lisbon goal in the new climate represents a very considerable challenge. The Irish Presidency will contribute to the process of setting up a meaningful evaluation of the Agenda, in cooperation with our partners, including the incoming Presidency.
A Safer Union
One of the areas highlighted for action in the Annual Operating Programme for 2004 is the Unions agenda for creating an area of freedom, security and justice. There is no doubt that enlargement and the growth of the internal market have provided enormous benefits for our people. Moving forward as a Union of 25, we must ensure that the benefits of the internal market and the freedoms we enjoy do not leave us exposed to exploitation by criminal elements for illegal gains. We must equally provide a safe and secure environment for our citizens.
The Unions agenda in this area is a wide-ranging one encompassing such issues as asylum, immigration, civil law cooperation, police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. We, as Presidency, will work to advance this ambitious agenda by focussing on the delivery of the outstanding requirements under the Amsterdam Treaty and the broader Tampere Programme. We will also initiate the process leading to the development of the post Tampere agenda in the Justice and Home Affairs area.
As Deputies are aware, the fight against terrorism continues Tobe a priority. The Irish Presidency will focus on operational cooperation between police, customs and security services to combat organised crime, drugs and terrorism and other forms of crime that pose a threat to the security our people.
Global Engagement
The European Unions external commitments are intensive and the Presidency programme details the main issues on the agenda.
I do not propose, therefore, to go through the full list of external engagements. However, I do want to underline some of the principles that will inform our approach.
The Irish Presidency will promote EU-UN cooperation
- in crisis management;
- to fight the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction;
- to promote human rights, and
- for UN reform and effective multilateralism.
And we will work with our partners in all regions of the world to achieve our shared goals.
Our approach will be based on the common values of the European Union with a view to contributing to peace, security and sustainable development. We will work for free and fair trade, the ending of poverty and we will support democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs will be heavily engaged with the external commitments of the European Union over the coming months. Last week he visited the Middle East and today he is in the European Parliament.
Conclusion
I have outlined today the broad issues that will inform our Presidency and the approach we will take. There are of course many other important areas of the Union's work that we will be addressing during our term in office, including the future financial perspectives on which the Commission will issue its Communication shortly.
Our overriding aim is to manage the business of the Union in an efficient, effective and even-handed manner. We will seek to drive forward the agenda of the European Union. That is the role of the Presidency.
Ireland has a strong record of conducting good Presidencies. I pay tribute to the members of the opposition who were in the driving seat in 1996. It is fair to say, at the same time, that we have prepared well for this, our sixth,Presidency. It is possibly, the last Presidency of its type we will have the honour to conduct.
This Presidency of the European Union provides Ireland with a unique opportunity to make a positive contribution to the lives of ordinary people both here and across Europe. We will seek to build on the successes of previous Presidencies and to manage our responsibilities in the best interests of Europe and all Europeans. We rely on all in this House to support us in this task.