I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
The purpose of the Bill before the House—the European Communities (Amendment) Bill, 1979—is to amend the definition of "treaties governing the European Communities" as set out in the European Communities Act, 1972, by the addition of the treaty relating to the accession of the Hellenic Republic to the European Economic Community and to the European Atomic Energy Community and the decision of the Council relating to the accession of the Hellenic Republic to the European Coal and Steel Community. The effect of the Bill, when enacted into law, will be to make the treaty and the decision part of the domestic law of Ireland.
Deputies will be aware of the distinction between the procedures necessary for accession to the EEC and Euratom and those necessary for accession to the European Coal and Steel Community. In the case of EEC and Euratom, the conditions of admission of a new member state and the adjustments to the treaties necessitated thereby must be the subject of an agreement between the existing member states and the applicant state. This agreement must be ratified by all the contracting states in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements. For accession to ECSC a decision by the Council only is required. The constitutional requirements in Ireland are that both the treaty relating to accession to EEC and Euratom and the decision relating to accession to ECSC shall be made part of the domestic law of the State.
This, as I have stated, is the purpose of the Bill. But, in addition, since the treaty is an international agreement, it has been necessary to satisfy the requirements of Article 29 of the Constitution.
Hence, the motion seeking the approval of Dáil Éireann of the terms of accession of the Hellenic Republic to the European Economic Community and to the European Atomic Energy Community which was approved yesterday.
Perhaps at this stage it would be useful if I were to outline the history of the relationship between the Community and Greece. The links date back to the conclusion of an association agreement between the Community and Greece in 1961 under which the Community pledged itself to support the efforts of the Greek people to improve their standard of living. Eventual accession to the Communities was envisaged once the operation of the agreement had advanced far enough to enable Greece to undertake the full obligations of membership.
Since the coming into operation of the Athens Agreement in 1962, considerable economic and social progress was achieved by Greece despite the fact that the harmonisation process provided for in the agreement was suspended during the period of the dictatorship. With the return of democratic government it was only natural that Greece should seek to consolidate her rediscovered freedom by aligning herself even more closely with the democratic nations of the European Community. It was this concern as much as the desire to join for reasons of economic progress and development which motivated the government of Prime Minister Karamanlis to submit an application for Greece to accede to the European Communities in June 1975.
In accordance with the provisions of the treaties, the Commission examined the application and presented its opinion to the Council in January 1976. It recommended that a clear affirmative reply be given and that accession negotiations be opened without delay. In February 1976 the Council accepted the application and at its meeting on 19-20 July 1976 agreed to open negotiations leading to accession. A formal opening session of negotiations was held on 27 July 1976 and meetings were held on a regular basis until the substance of the negotiations was declared concluded early this year. The decision of the Council of the European Communities on the accession of the Hellenic Republic to the European Coal and Steel Community was signed on 24 May 1979 as were the Council decisions on accession to the EEC and Euratom. The treaty between the existing member states and the Hellenic Republic concerning accession to the EEC and Euratom was signed in Athens on 28 May 1979. The Instruments of Accession were ratified by the Greek Parliament on 28 June 1979 and, following ratification by the existing member states, Greece will become the tenth member state of the Communities on 1 January 1981.
Before I deal specifically with the Irish position as regards the Greek application and the general question of enlargement, I would like to refer briefly to the outcome of the negotiations in the various sectors. Copies of a volume entitled Documents concerning the Accession of the Hellenic Republic to the European Communities have been circulated to Deputies. This volume contains the Act of Accession which sets out the arrangements, conditions and adjustments to the treaties resulting from the negotiations. Since these provisions cover in detail the effects of Greek accession on the entire acquis communautaire it would be impossible to attempt to synopsise them. However, it might be useful to draw attention to some of the more important aspects of the agreement.
Negotiations were conducted on the basis that Greece would accept the acquis communautaire as it exists on the date of accession subject to transitional arrangements. I should note here that an information and consultation procedure similar to that which operated in the case of Ireland, Britain and Denmark in 1972 has been established whereby Greece is advised of and can submit views on proposed developments of the acquis communautaire in the period between the signature of the treaty and the proposed date of accession.
As regards the length of the transitional period Ireland insisted from the outset that what was described as the "classical" period of five years, which was agreed at the first enlargement in 1973, should apply also to Greece. Indeed, this was the position of the Greek delegation, too. In the event, the transitional period was set at five years apart from some minor exceptions which were not of concern to this country. I might mention that in the agricultural sector we were particularly concerned that the transitional period should be as short as possible, especially for beef and dairy produce for which a lucrative market exists in Greece. We argued successfully that the transitional period for these products should be five years instead of the seven-year period originally proposed by the Commission. Otherwise, Ireland did not encounter any particular difficulty in the course of the negotiations and it may be safely said that the agreements reached do not adversely affect the interests of this country.
As I have said, Greece will accept the provisions of the acquis communautaire as from the date of accession subject to the agreed transitional arrangements. This means that Greece will be represented in all the Community institutions and will participate in the decision-making process. Accordingly, to give but two examples, Greece will be represented in the Council of Ministers in its various formations, and will have 24 representatives in the European Parliament. Initially, these members will be appointed by the Greek Parliament but it has been decided that direct elections should be held during 1981.
Customs union between the existing member states of the Community and Greece will be completed fully after the five-year transitional period. Indeed, all duties on Greek industrial imports into the Community have already been abolished under the association agreement. As regards the common agricultural policy, the alignment of prices of Greek products to those of the Community will be completed during a five-year transitional period with the exception of two products—peaches and tomatoes—for which a seven-year period has been agreed. The only other exception to the five-year period is in relation to freedom of movement of workers between Greece and the existing Community, for which a seven-year transitional period has also been set.
Greece will also participate in the European Regional Development Fund and the Social Fund as from the date of accession and the Accession Treaty includes a protocol relating to the economic and industrial development of Greece similar to the protocol which Ireland negotiated at the time of its accession.
I must now, however, refer to the broader concerns which Ireland has expressed in regard to the further enlargement of the Community. At the Council of 9 February 1976, which, as I have said, resulted in the Community stating that it accepted the Greek application for accession, Ireland laid stress on the necessity for strengthening the Community institutions in preparation for enlargement and on the need to set aside additional resources to cater for an enlarged Community. Subsequently, in July 1976, when the question of opening accession negotiations with Greece was being discussed, Ireland proposed and had accepted by the Council, a Council statement which declared—
(1) that the consequences—in particular the financial consequences of an enlargement must not be detrimental to the common projects and policies of the Community or to those which it intends to carry out in the future.
(2) that enlargement must help strengthen a Community dynamic in its aspirations and not weaken or reduce in effectiveness its institutional structures and possibilities for action and
(3) that, with this view, the Council were agreed that subject to usual budgetary procedures, on Greek accession appropriate provision would be made for the needs of the enlarged Community.
At later discussions I reiterated this position and received support from my colleagues in the Council and from the Commission. I made it clear, however, that Ireland was not setting preconditions for enlargement which would have to be fulfilled by the applicant countries. Rather, were we asking that enlargement be used as an occasion for strengthening the Community as regards the budget, in the working of the institutions and in other aspects of progress towards closer integration. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to deal with the present regional imbalances in the Community and a certain amount of success has been already achieved in this area. I refer to the aid for drainage schemes in the west of Ireland which was obtained as a balance to the aid granted to the Mediterranean regions of the existing Community to help prepare for enlargement and I would draw attention also to the fact that further Commission proposals for aid for infrastructural development in the West have been submitted to the Council. I do not suggest that these measures and other moves towards convergence represent an adequate response to our needs but they do indicate a recognition of the fact that there are serious disparities in the Community and that positive and direct action must be taken to eliminate them.
As regards institutional reform, Deputies will know that the report of the Committee of Three Wise Men is being made available to the member states in time for consideration by the European Council in Dublin on 29/30 November. Their reactions cannot be anticipated but there is general acceptance in the Community that changes will have to be made particularly in the context of enlargement.
In conclusion I should like to draw attention to the historical significance of the Greek accession to the European Communities. All Europe owes a debt to Greece and certainly no European Community of nations would be complete without her as a member. It is entirely appropriate and right that Greece will shortly be joining more closely with a Community to which it has already contributed so much and with which it already shares so much in terms of culture and history. The very word "politics" indeed the word "democracy" itself are part of the inheritance that the Community owes to Greece. It is, then, particularly fitting that she should join in an endeavour which I have no doubt will influence not only the future of the people of Europe but the future of mankind also.
Given that Ireland has consistently welcomed the application of Greece for membership of the Communities and that the terms of accession arrived at in the negotiations are satisfactory in so far as this country is concerned, I commend the Bill to the House.