Vol. 430 No. 4
15 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has any plans to initiate a broad-ranging debate in Ireland on the constitutional options for Europe in advance of the next Intergovernmental Conference planned for 1996.
21 Mr. Nealon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has any plans to initiate a broad-ranging debate in Ireland on the constitutional options for Europe in advance of the next Intergovernmental Conference planned for 1996.
38 Mr. Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has any plans to initiate a broad-ranging debate in Ireland on the constitutional options for Europe in advance of the next Intergovernmental Conference planned for 1996.
51 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has any plans to initiate a broad-ranging debate in Ireland on the constitutional options for Europe in advance of the next Intergovernmental Conference planned for 1996.
58 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has any plans to initiate a broad-ranging debate in Ireland on the constitutional options for Europe in advance of the next Intergovernmental Conference planned for 1996.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 21, 38, 51 and 58 together. Article N (2) of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union provides that an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) shall be convended in 1996 to examine those provisions of the Treaty for which revision is provided, in accordance with the objectives set out in Articles A and B.
The Treaty provisions for which revision is provided comprise: the scope of the co-decision procedure between the Council and European Parliament — Article 189b (8); the Common Foreign and Security Policy — Article J.4 (6); introduction into the Treaty of provisions/or/Articles on energy, civil protection and tourism — as set out in a Declaration attached to the Maastricht Treaty and review of the classification of Community legislative Acts — as set out in a declaration attached in the Maastricht Treaty.
Article N (1) also provides that the Government of any member state or the Commission may submit to the Council proposals for amendment of the Treaties on which the union is to be founded and goes on to lay down the same Intergovernmental Conference procedure to deal with any such proposals as is set out in Article 236 of the Treaty of Rome. On this basis, it is open to Governments or the Commission to raise other matters for discussion at Intergovernmental Conference in 1996, in addition to those specifically provided for in the Maastricht Treaty. Such proposals would be in line with the objectives of the Treaty as set out in Article B.
It will be desirable to have a broad ranging debate in Ireland on the matters likely to arise at the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference, including questions such as the Deputy may have in mind in his reference to "the constitutional options for Europe". The Government will be making its own contribution to this debate in due course.
In the meantime, I would welcome the new Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs taking an interest in issues which could be considered by the Intergovernmental Conference and this is an aspect of Community policy to which, I hope, the committee will give a priority.
With respect to the Minister, he stated in answer to a number of questions today that the Government is giving careful consideration to matters or is taking a particular course of action but he has not outlined the Government's policy or its views in advance of discussions on these matters. In respect of this question the Minister has clearly indicated that the Government will be entering discussions but he has given no indications of Government policy or views on the constitutional options for Europe in the run-up to the intergovernmental conference in 1996. One of the major problems facing Irish people at present is their political alientation from Europe and the lack of information about the options that are likely to be on the table in the run-up to 1996. Will the Minister indicate how and when he will present his views to the other member states? What information will be given to this House and to the general public in respect of the constitutional options for Europe and what public debate will take place in respect of these important issues? I suggest that we should learn from the experience of the Danes in not taking for granted important issues such as these.
The Deputy has raised a number of issues. The Maastricht Treaty is not yet in force and any wide-ranging debate on these matters would have to follow on from a period of consolidation after the Treaty comes into force. The Irish approach will be positive and pragmatic. First we should seek to strengthen the elements in the Maastricht Treaty as the need arises. Second, we should seek to ensure that the Treaty bases for cohesion policies are strengthened if that is considered necessary. Third, we should seek to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the institutions.
The Deputy referred to the need for information, and this is a matter in which I am particularly interested. I expect that the issues to be dealt with at the 1996 conference will be debated against the backdrop of the information campaign which the Government hopes to conduct closer to that time. The objective of the Government's strategy will be to educate and promote understanding, open communication, confidence, trust and a sense of involvement and participation on the part of the public in the community and the Government's policies on EC matters. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs will report to the Oireachtas on the issues to be dealt with at the intergovernmental conference. The Government envisages that the committee will play an extremely valuable role in this regard and I urge the committee to maintain a constant review of developments.
I did not intervene in the earlier round of questions on the EC but can the Minister reassure me that the Government does not expect the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs to take entire leadership in the debate on this matter? The Minister's response to this question as well as to earlier questions placed great emphasis on this committee. Will the Minister assure us that the Government will not abdicate its responsibility in this regard and that debate will not be delayed, as was the case in advance of the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty?
Despite the criticisms, 70 per cent of the Irish people voted in favour of a united Europe. From information I have received from colleagues in Europe, compared with other countries we have undertaken an indepth analysis of these matters. Much more has to be done. I assure the Deputy that we are not relying totally on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. I stress that we favour the involvement of all parties in this matter. We also favour the involvement of bodies such as the Irish Council of the European Movement, a body with which I worked closely during the Maastricht debate, and the Institute of European Affairs, an organisation in which there is great potential. The Deputy can be assured that the Government will be a very pro-active player in this debate.
I welcome the Minister's indication that the intends to listen to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs — this is why we requested the committee in the first instance. Does the Minister think the Maastricht Treaty will be ratified by 1996? Its present rate of progress does not indicate that will be so. I understand that a meeting of presidents of the national parliaments of the European Community is to take place in Dublin on 27 May. I do not know whether this Parliament has received an invitation to that meeting — I only heard about it on the grapevine. Has the Minister, as Minister with responsibility for European affairs, any information to this effect? Will he indicate how this Parliament intends to convey our views to the Ceann Comhairle before that meeting, given that the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs will not meet until——
That information has not been given to everybody.
That is my understanding, but perhaps my information is inaccurate.
The Progressive Democrats probably will not find out about the meeting until the day after it takes place.
Nor will Fine Gael.
I am privileged to be host to that great gathering.
I am very pleased to hear that. The members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs should at least be informed of what is going on and the contribution we can make to the meeting. As I understand it, the meeting is preparing for the assizes of parliaments towards the end of this year, in November or December.
I understand that no meetings of this House ever takes place on a Saturday. Will the Minister confirm that a meeting will take place on Saturday, 22 May, 1993?
The Minister will have to inquire from the Ceann Comhairle. I suspect that was the case many times in the past.
This is a matter for myself and the Parliamentary Committee of this House and it has been quite long in preparation. I will see to it that Members are duly informed.
A Cheann Comhairle, thank you for answering my question.
Members will recall the general delay in publishing information on the Maastricht Treaty and that houses were blitzed with information only three weeks before the referendum. In order to stimulate public debate, will the Minister consider issuing consumer friendly information that is easy to read on the further constitutional changes that will come about and options that will arise as we move in 1996 so that we can have a real public debate instead of high level Euro-speak?
I will take the Deputy's suggestion on board. I chair an interdepartmental committee called the European Affairs Committee every month which comprises representatives of all the key Departments trying to ensure there is co-operation and cohesion at European level. One of the issues we have looked at is the question of information and I will bring back proposals to the Foreign Affairs Committee as soon as possible. I assure Members that any suggestions they make will be taken on board to take the best possible approach to information campaigns. The single lesson I learned from the campaign was the need to break down jargon into layman's language. People do not want to hear the terms "subsidiarity", "cohesion" and the other terms that were used but want to know very clearly what their options are. This falls within my remit. I certainly hope it will be part of the remit of the Committee of Foreign Affairs.
The committee would need to meet every day for the next month.
The flurry of interest in the conference the Ceann Comhairle is arranging distracted us from the first part of Deputy De Rossa's question and got the Minister off the hook.
Will the Maastricht Treaty be ratified by 1996? In replying to the question, will the Minister outline the timescale of events?
Certainly, I see the Maastricht Treaty being ratified before the end of this year. I would be one of the many Ministers at European level who see the need to give a new momentum to the European movement. There has been a certain lull over the past few months and to some extent we are waiting for the Danes and the British to ratify the Treaty. We have to leave it to the individual countries to deal with their own problems but the European movement would receive a tremendous boost if the Maastricht Treaty were ratified. This would then lead to the question of enlargement. If Deputies are asking me to look into the crystal ball, I believe the Treaty will be ratified before the end of the year.
I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle's indication that a meeting is being planned. Perhaps the Minister does not have information on it to hand. Will he circulate the Deputies with whatever information he has on the meeting of the European Parliament.
Perhaps his optimism on the upturn in enthusiasm following the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty is misplaced. I believe that view is a recipe for going nowhere. There must be a total rethink on where the European Community is going once the nonsense about ratification is out of the way.
I am aware of the meeting the Ceann Comhairle has just informed the House about because the Inter-parlimentary Union is involved. Certainly I will circulate any information I have to Deputy De Rossa and any other Deputies who are interested. I disagree with Deputy De Rossa's statements on the process of European union. We have seen positive trends with regard to interest rates and an initiative for growth, which the Danish Presidency has taken up with some vigour. In my view the only option we have, as a strongly dependent trading nation, is with Europe. We are highly committed to it. Our monetary system and interest rates are linked to European monetary union. It is certainly in our interest that we pursue actively the unity of Europe.
I am predicting a favourable outcome to the ratification process before the end of the year and I feel that is the best option for this country and for Europe.
