asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Government have intimated any preference as to whether the new EEC political Secretariat should be sited in Brussels or in Paris.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Political Secretariat.
28.
The Government have intimated no preference as to the siting of the proposed EEC political Secretariat. We have indicated that we hope that questions with regard to this Secretariat can be settled by a consensus capable of acceptance by all ten future partners.
The Minister is aware that the siting of the Secretariat has a bit more significance than its locale and that in fact the siting of the Secretariat has a great deal to do with the de Gaullist approach to Europe and other approaches. Is the Minister saying that our attitude on the matter is: "Let it be decided amongst you and we will accept whatever decision is made"? Have we no opinion of our own or is it a precedent for our overall approach to the European institutions: we will wait until other people make the decisions and then we will go along with them?
The Deputy should be aware that this is not the only problem facing the Community. With ten separate nations you have to get a consensus. There cannot be an imposed solution. There has not been a direct confrontation about siting and for that reason we have not been faced with a decision. It would not be possible to have a majority decision. You have to seek agreement. I said at the last meeting that the Secretariat should be small and it should be able to deal with what goes on in a political committee. It will have to be done by agreement, whatever is done. As I say, it is not the only problem in the Community. Serious problems which cannot be resolved by agreement amongst the ten will not be resolved by consultation and a majority decision.
Would the Minister reassure the House that, simply because it would be a British opinion that the Secretariat should be sited in Brussels, we will not just simply go along with such an opinion simply because it emanates from Britain?
We will have to hold ourselves completely free to make decisions. If our decisions at times coincide with those of the British that will not be because we are imitating them. We will be in there as equal partners. Neither will we take decisions for the sake of being against the British or being different from them. We will have to accept that we are equal partners in the European situation and we should not go on talking about imitating other countries as some Deputies have been in the past.
Would the Minister say if the choice is only between Brussels and Paris?
The possibility of Paris was raised. I think most of the people who have given thought to this assumed Brussels would be the place because it was the site of the Community institutions. It has not reached the level of confrontation.
Was any other place mentioned besides Brussels and Paris? Was Dublin mentioned?
Yes. There is no reason why it should not be Dublin.
Is Dublin in the running?
Yes.