John Bruton
Question:5 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the arrangements, if any, he has made to consult the European Parliament in advance of the Dublin Summit in fulfilment of his statement in Dáil Éireann of 27 March 1990.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Summit.
The Irish Presidency has taken all appropriate steps in this regard.
Is the Tánaiste aware that the Taoiseach stated in the House on 27 March that he was considering some particular initiatives to consult the European Parliament in advance of this weekend's Summit? Will he indicate what initiatives the Taoiseach or the Irish Government took to consult Parliament since 27 March that had not been underway previously?
There is continuous contact maintained, in particular by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with the Parliament. As a result of that the President of the Parliament will, at the invitation of the Taoiseach, make a 15 minute presentation at the beginning of the summit on 28 April. Similar arrangements will also apply at the June European Council. Parliament will make a preliminary submission to the summit meeting before it gets underway. That gives the Parliament some linkage. It is a very interesting development which I am sure the Deputy will welcome.
I do, but would the Tánaiste not agree that in addition to what might be seen as simply a symbolic appearance by the President of the Parliament there should be a better established institutional link between the current Presidency and the Parliament secretariat on an on-going basis in Strasbourg with a view to ensuring that the Presidency proposals at the summit represent as near as possible the views of Parliament?
At the end of our six month Presidency I believe we will receive certain approbation on this matter. We have made a point of cultivating exceptionally good relations with the Parliament and its committees. That has already been acknowledged as a feature of the Irish Presidency and it has led to successful conciliation and clearance by the Parliament of many matters that were being blocked in regard to the Parliament itself and its relations with the Council of Ministers and the Commission.
I will refer briefly to diverse cases and decisions in regard to the first stage of EMU, the establishment of the European Environment Agency, the revision of the five year financial perspective and the multi-annual framework programme in research and development. These are some of the areas where blockages had arisen. By reason of our special arrangements for regular day-to-day contact between the Irish Presidency and the Parliament, matters were cleared. At the end of the six months this is one of the matters for which we will be remembered.
Would the Tánaiste agree that there is a serious democratic deficit in the Community since the Community is not really a democratic institution in its present form? If the Community's responsibilities are to be increased, would the Tánaiste not agree that there is a responsibility on this Government that this be done in such a fashion that it is most democratic and consistent with the interests of small countries like Ireland who might lose out in a larger arrangement?
That whole area is one of the matters on the agenda of the inter-governmental conference that is proposed — what revision of Community statutes would be required to bring about an element of democracy and to reduce the democratic deficit. It is part of the agenda but in the meantime within the present parameters we are doing our utmost.