Vol. 482 No. 3
55 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, the Government plans to take to protect the interests of smaller states in institutional reform of the EU regarding the commitment given in An Action Programme for the Millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18025/97]
As my predecessor stated in reply to a similar question from Deputy Rabbitte on 30 September 1997, the question of institutional reform in the EU was considered by the Intergovernmental Conference which concluded the Treaty of Amsterdam in June this year. The outcome of the Intergovernmental Conference in this area and indeed the overall result of the Intergovernmental Conference was highly satisfactory from the Irish point of view.
In the area of institutional reform, Ireland shared the concern of other member states to preserve the broad balance within and between the European Union's institutions which has been essential to the success of the Union. In particular, Ireland attached priority to maintaining the right to nominate a full member of the European Commission. We continue to believe it is central to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Commission and of the Union's institutions as a whole that each member state is entitled to nominate a full member. I am very pleased that this priority was realised and I would echo my predecessor in paying tribute to the previous Government, of which Deputy Rabbitte was a member, for its efforts in this regard.
A Protocol to the Treaty provides for a review, at least one year before the membership of the European Union exceeds 20 member states, of the composition and functions of the Union's institutions. However, the outcome of such a future review is not prejudged, and there has been no decision to limit the size of the Commission to any definite number of Commissioners.
In addition, the larger member states agreed at the Intergovernmental Conference to give up their right to nominate a second Commissioner at the time of the next enlargement of the Union, provided that, by that date, the weighting of the votes in the Council has been modified, whether by reweighting of the votes or by dual majority, in a manner acceptable to all member states.
