Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 1

Written Answers. - European Political, Economic and Monetary Union.

John Bruton

Question:

62 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will table proposals of its own in respect of European Political Union and Economic and Monetary Union, within the European Community; and if so, when these will be published.

Peter Barry

Question:

109 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the stage at which the Government intend to formally submit their views to the Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Collins)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 109 together.

Ireland has made a positive and constructive contribution to the debate on Political Union right from the earliest discussions exactly a year ago. During our Presidency we played a central role in the process which led to the decision at the Dublin meeting of the European Council in June to convene an Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union. We helped to lay down the framework within which the work of the Intergovernmental Conference would be carried out and it was in Dublin that the four general headings under which specific issues would be addressed were adopted. These are (i) the scope of Political Union, (ii) democratic legitimacy, (iii) efficiency and effectiveness of the Community and its Institutions and, (iv) unity and coherence of the Community's international action.

Ireland participated fully and actively at official and ministerial level in the preparatory phase of the Intergovernmental Conference during the Italian Presidency in the latter half of last year. This work culminated in the adoption of a full and detailed report drawn up by Foreign Ministers and adopted at the Rome European Council in December on the basis of which the broad guidelines for the work of the Intergovernmental Conference were laid down.

Throughout the preparatory phase in the second half of last year, Ireland emphasised the issues which we believed to be essential for the IGC to consider. We explained to our partners the general principles of our approach. The Taoiseach set these out in some detail in his contribution to the debate in this House on 1 November. I was happy to note that these principles were endorsed by the joint committees on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities under the Chairmanship of Deputy Peter Barry in a Special Report prepared for the Conference of European Parliaments in November 1990.

It was also during the preparatory stage that we highlighted the issues to which we attached paramount importance and indicated that we would be making a written contribution on some of these at the appropriate time — namely when the negotiations proper had begun following the formal opening of the IGC on 15 December 1991.

Since then we have tabled specific proposals in respect of economic and social cohesion in both of the intergovernmental conferences. We also felt it would be important to the work of the Conference on Political Union that we make contributions in the area of new competences. To this end we lodged texts on education and health. As Deputies are aware I have arranged for these proposals to be lodged in the Library of the Oireachtas for the information of the House. Finally, in the case of culture we co-operated with the Commission in the preparation of a text.

Since we tabled our proposals a number of delegations have made contributions on the same areas and in several cases have drawn ideas and language from us. In the area of economic and social cohesion, our proposals, coming as they did very shortly after the opening of the IGC served to place the issue firmly on the agenda of the Conference and underlined the importance of cohesion as a central element and objective of Political Union. Since then Spain, Greece, Portugal and significantly the European Commission have come forward with proposals. I am confident that as a result of our efforts, there will be a strengthening of the commitment to economic and social cohesion and a firm basis established for the continued improvement and development of existing and future mechanisms for the reduction of regional disparities and the consolidation of economic and social cohesion as one of the mainstays of European integration.

In the case of education and health, we believe that these are two areas of concern to all the citizens of the Community. It was therefore wholly appropriate that there should be a specific Treaty base for future Community action in these two areas and, again I am happy to report that our proposals have found considerable support from other member states.

We have now reached a stage in the negotiations where most of the issues which delegations wished to raise have been noted and work will shortly commence on the analysis and elaboration of draft Treaty articles drawn up by the Presidency. Ireland will examine these carefully to ensure that they reflect our concerns and protect our interests. We have the right to submit draft texts ourselves and, in the case of all the areas I have just mentioned we did in fact do so. We may do so again in the light of the negotiations and where we see that such a contribution would be helpful and likely to gain general acceptance among our partners.