I thank Deputy Boylan for the welcome extended to me in Virginia, County Cavan. I commend the plant there on receiving an award for meeting EU standards.
I thank the Deputies who contributed to the debate for their constructive approach. It is clear there is wide support in the House for the Treaty of Amsterdam, the ratification of which is the ultimate purpose of the Bill. Support for the treaty is rightly understood as support for the continued, full and committed participation of Ireland in the European Union as further developed by that treaty. This is fundamental and I welcome the emphasis placed on it by so many speakers.
I will expand on the remarks made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs by focusing first on the wider context in which the treaty has been considered necessary. There is a shared concern throughout the European Union that the challenges evident in this century and expected in the next should be met by a Union which is better equipped politically, economically and institutionally. As many speakers reminded us, history and our own experience show us that it is only through the European Union that we can ensure peace and prosperity among the member states. I agree with Deputy Quinn that enlargement has been in the past, and will be again, the Union's way of seeking to guarantee peace, democracy and the rule of law for an increasing number of the people of Europe.
The reaffirmation of the principles on which the Union is founded — liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law — is accompanied in the treaty by an explicit provision that only countries which respect these principles may apply to become members of the Union. This is fundamental. It is copperfastened by a provision which allows for the suspension of certain rights of membership, ultimately including voting rights, if a member state is found guilty of a serious and continuing breach of those principles.
The debate has shown that it is important to see the Treaty of Amsterdam as part of a process of maturing for the Union and for Ireland within the Union. During the 25 years since we joined the European Union membership has grown from nine to 15 and there is a very real prospect that it will exceed 20 during the next decade. It would be an understatement to merely say this development will present us with challenges and opportunities as it will also present us with choices. These choices will involve a balance between our own interests and those of our existing and prospective partners.
The Amsterdam Treaty is a good deal for Ireland, for Europe and for European citizens. It addresses the core issues which affect daily life throughout Europe: employment, the environment, social policy, public health, consumer rights and combating discrimination. It establishes fundamental rights on a treaty basis for the Union and creates a framework in which freedom of movement can be progressively realised to the maximum extent possible. It couples this with flanking measures in areas such as external border controls and fighting international crime.
A number of Deputies expressed support for those aspects of the treaty which deal with the related areas of freedom of movement and fighting international crime. The aim of the treaty in this area is to enhance the capacity of member states to ensure the safety of its citizens by developing common action among states in the fields of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters and by combating racism and xenophobia. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, the Treaty of Amsterdam subjects this kind of co-operation, which has been developed in the Union since Maastricht, to democratic and judicial controls for the first time.
While there are different views on whether the treaty does enough in terms of reform of the Union's institutions, it is accepted that the European Parliament is the institution which has fared best. This means there is a gain in democratic accountability. A number of Members met yesterday with the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Gil Robles, who is visiting Ireland.
The treaty is a good deal for Europe because it strengthens and makes more coherent the foreign policy capacity of the Union and better prepares it for the next historic enlargement phase. Importantly for Ireland, there is no change in the right of each member state to nominate a full member of the Commission. In advance of membership exceeding 20, the Union's institutions will be further examined to ensure that its functioning is not impaired by enlargement. In response to a question raised this morning, the outcome of the future review of the Union's institutions is not prejudged. It is clearly in Ireland's interest, and in accordance with our long established European policy, to be at the heart of the process of European integration. The Government believes the public would wish the State to have the capacity and freedom to continue to participate fully in the Union's development. The modified wording of the constitutional amendment which the Government proposes to put to the people will, if accepted, ensure that Ireland can remain at the heart of the European project. The Minister explained the legal reasons behind this approach.
The view that the European Union should play a full and positive role on the international stage was reflected in many of the contributions. The widespread support expressed for the revised Common Foreign and Security Policy provisions in the Treaty of Amsterdam is welcome and fully justified. Ireland's long tradition of a principled, constructive and engaged foreign policy finds strong expression through our participation in CFSP and enables us to join our EU partners in pursuit of the goals of international peace and justice.
In response to some of the issues raised by Deputies, Ireland's neutrality is not affected by this treaty. The Minister for Foreign Affairs set out clearly the scope of, and the safeguards in, the Treaty of Amsterdam. I respectfully invite those Deputies and members of the public who continue to have reservations on this point to accept that Ireland's policy of military neutrality is not under threat. Furthermore, the Government's commitment, which repeats commitments given by successive Governments, to put the issue to the people for decision if it ever arises in the future ensures the issue of military neutrality remains one for the people to decide.
I assure the House that, despite some suggestions to the contrary, the EU does not aspire to become a nuclear superpower, waging war on neighbouring countries or regions and there is nothing in the Treaty of Amsterdam which supports such a contention. The inclusion of the Petersberg tasks in the new treaty should not be seen as a threat to the United Nations. Successive Secretaries-General have called for greater regional support of the efforts of the United Nations in the peacekeeping and crisis management areas. The treaty explicitly situates the CFSP in the context of the principles of the UN Charter.
The experience of the international community in recent years in the former Yugoslavia, Albania and the Great Lakes region in Africa has demonstrated that if the international community is to play a role in conflict management and post-conflict rehabilitation a greater degree of commitment from the EU is required. The progressive framing of a common defence policy is situated in the context of the Petersberg tasks which were conceived in the context of support for the UN and OSCE. This is very much in line with Ireland's position on international peacekeeping, an area where the members of our Defence Forces and Garda have served with distinction for many years with the popular and proud support of the public. Ireland wants the EU to make an improved contribution to international peace and security, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, and we are willing to contribute to these tasks on a case-by-case and voluntary basis.
Ireland is not a member of the Western European Union and has no intention of joining it. Like our three fellow neutral members of the EU, Austria, Finland and Sweden, we are observers at the Western European Union. The importance of our continuing observer status in the Western European Union is underlined by the inclusion in the Amsterdam Treaty of the Petersberg tasks which will be carried out by the Western European Union at the instigation of the EU. Integration of the Western European Union into the EU is not an agreed objective of the EU and is not provided for anywhere in the treaty or its protocols.
The issue of nuclear weapons has nothing to do with the Western European Union's declared willingness to support the UN, the OSCE or the EU by providing an operational capacity for the Petersberg tasks. Ireland's long standing policy against nuclear weapons is well known and understood by our EU partners.
Deputies referred to a number of aspects of the EU agenda in the period ahead. We are weeks away from decisions on the participants in the first phase of EMU. Over the medium-term, the review of the financial perspectives, the future of the CAP and of the Structural and Cohesion Funds and EU enlargement will be the predominant issues. Enlargement, which will be a major issue for the European Union in the future, figures particularly high on the EU agenda this month. An essential prerequisite of further enlargement, achieved by the Treaty of Amsterdam, is the affirmation by member states of the European Union, in practical as well as political terms, of their total commitment to defending the rights and pursuing the interests of their peoples. The Union has no higher purpose.
The commencement of the next phase of the enlargement process is a decisive step forward in the historic project of creating a new Europe, united on the basis of shared democratic principles, respect for minorities and human rights, and with economic opportunity and social justice for all. Extending the model of European integration which is represented by the European Union throughout the continent holds out the promise of future stability and prosperity. The European Council held in Luxembourg in December took the necessary decisions to launch the next phase of the enlargement process. It decided on an accession process involving all ten central and eastern European applicants and Cyprus. It set in motion an inclusive process designed to lead in time to accession by all the new democracies that have applied to join the Union.
It was agreed at Luxembourg to establish the European Conference as a new forum to bring together the member states of the European Union and the states aspiring to accede to it. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs will attend the inaugural meeting of the European Conference in London next week. The formal accession process will be launched on 30 March and will be followed the next day by the inauguration of bilateral Intergovernmental Conferences with Hungary, Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Cyprus. At the same time, the process of preparing Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria for future negotiations will be speeded up.
From the outset, Ireland has made clear its commitment to enlargement as an historic opportunity for peace and stability in Europe and we consider that the momentum towards enlargement is now irreversible. We are committed to supporting the applicant states in their efforts as they prepare for accession and look forward to welcoming them as our partners in the European Union.
It goes without saying that enlargement on the scale envisaged will be a very considerable economic undertaking by the Union and will have significant financial implications. The Union will, therefore, have to provide the resources necessary to make it a success. No less importantly, the Union must also ensure resources to consolidate its achievements to date in existing member states. For Ireland, there are two areas where this consideration is of particular importance, namely, sustaining the economic development of less advanced regions and the Union meeting in full its commitment to maintaining a viable rural community.
Against that background the Union is currently engaged in a review of its future financing and a number of core policy areas. This process, collectively known as Agenda 2000, is of major significance to Ireland as it involves the future shape of the Union's structural and agricultural policies. I am confident Ireland will continue to benefit significantly from the Union's structural and cohesion policies.
We have experienced an undisputed improvement in economic performance in recent years and our membership of the European Union has been an important factor in this. However, it must equally be stressed that the long-term sustainability of this achievement must be ensured and that we have much ground to make up before we replicate the state of development of European economies with a longer history of economic progress. This is especially true in the context of infrastructural investment, where we have substantial outstanding development needs.
Regarding agriculture, the forthcoming negotiations will focus on further reform of the common agricultural policy. We accept that European agriculture must become more competitive in world markets and that it must be developed on a sound, stable and sustainable basis. This is in our long-term interest as a major exporter of agricultural products. At the same time, the reform process must be carried out in a manner which preserves the essentials of the common agricultural policy and which ensures that the interests of farmers and rural communities are fully protected.
It is worth reiterating that Ireland has been and wishes to remain at the forefront of European development and integration. The tasks ahead at European level are very significant for the development of peace and security in Europe. Ratification of the Treaty of Amsterdam is a next and necessary step in the completion of those tasks, a view shared by the overwhelming majority of Deputies. I am greatly encouraged by the views expressed in the debate and hope the Government's view of the Treaty of Amsterdam as constituting a good deal for Ireland, for Europe, and its citizens will be endorsed by the people in the forthcoming referendum.