I wish to raise an issue, a Cheann Comhairle. I know there is no formal Order of Business today but surely there must be some mechanism whereby the House can make some comment on the shambles—
An Bille um an Séú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht, 2002: An Dara Céim (Atógáil). Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2002: Second Stage (Resumed).
Atairgeadh an cheist: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois."
Question again proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
The business now before the House is as already decided yesterday and Deputy Howlin is out of order. I call Deputy Durkan.
Is there any mechanism whereby—
As I pointed out to the Deputy, the business for today was decided by the House yesterday. I call Deputy Durkan.
Unless this House is to be seen as entirely irrelevant—
We have had a very orderly debate over the past two weeks. The Deputy was given an opportunity yesterday. He is now out of order and I ask him to resume his seat.
I wish to share my time with Deputy Hogan and Deputy English. The issue to be put before the people again is a second chance for the electorate. Having considered at some length the issues involved in the Nice agreement and with all sides having had the opportunity to voice their opinions, the voters will go to the polls again a little over a year after the previous Nice referendum. There are those on the "No" side who have said that we cannot and should not put the case again so soon as nothing has changed. However, things have changed considerably. For example, the Forum on Europe has taken place and has gone around the country taking opinions on board. Considerable discussions have taken place among all the political parties, both for and against Nice, and there can be no doubt that much more information is now available to the people.
One of the changes for the better is that the Oireachtas has much more control than it had a year ago. The Government, at the behest of the Opposition parties, has created a situation where the Joint Committee on European Affairs is in a position to have discussions with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and civil servants before any decision is taken in future. While that does not affect the current Nice treaty, it will affect every other treaty. More importantly, it will affect all directives and instruments enacted by the European institutions for transposition into Irish law. That will bridge a gap which has been a cause of considerable problems in the context of the suggestion that there was a democratic deficit. I believe any such deficit is now being addressed. Under this provision the Houses of the Oireachtas will have an opportunity, before decisions are made, to influence the outcome and will have an opportunity to comment on the outcome afterwards. In that regard, a major bridge has been crossed. That opportunity was not available to the Houses of the Oireachtas in the past, except in an informal way. It has now been formally put in place.
Everybody should be encouraged to express their views. We have to challenge each other's views and sometimes our own. One of the arguments advanced by those on the "No" side is that we will be suddenly beset by hungry hordes from eastern Europe who have nowhere else to go. That is most misleading and it is a sadly mistaken view, as evidenced by previous experience in relation to the accession of new member states including Ireland, Spain and Portugal. In no case was there any mass migration from one country to another. In any event, a central concept of Europe is to ensure that the quality of life and the standard of living of all the people in the Union is improved. The emphasis is on raising standards rather than depressing economies. That is the positive view of the situation.
However, there are other agendas. Some people do not want the European Union to expand. Some people on the "No" side have said it is possible for five countries to join without any changes such as those envisaged in the Nice treaty. That may be true but the reality is that there are more than five countries ready to join. Who wishes to tell the other five or six countries that they will have to wait? It is in the interest of the Irish people and the future of our economy that we vote "Yes". Otherwise, the train will have left the station and we will not be on it. We will have relinquished control over its direction of travel and the stations at which it will stop. We joined the European Union not only to gain from it, but also to contribute to it.
I welcome the opportunity to support the Bill which is before the House to advance the cause of Ireland's involvement in the European Union through the Treaty of Nice. It is worthwhile recalling the background to the formation of the European Union, including the difficulties which emerged from the Second World War and the political, economic and social stability which the European Coal and Steel Community and the Treaty of Rome gave to Europe at a time when the political situation was very fragile. That is often underestimated by later generations who have enjoyed the fruits of economic success through membership of the European Union since Ireland's accession in 1973.
Political stability is crucial to economic success. In central and eastern Europe, there are many examples of instability creating serious economic difficulties, migration and lack of social cohesion for the people of those countries. It would be remiss of us not to spell out the message to the Irish people, in the context of this referendum, that a "Yes" vote is a vote for stability of the European Union. That aspect should not be taken for granted. Many people feel that the accession of ten new member states to the European Union will resolve the instability which has existed in central and eastern European countries over the last ten to 12 years. Russia has just progressed through a small part of its democratisation and nobody should underestimate the level of instability that still exists in the former states of the former Soviet Union. Russia is far from being able to stand on its own two feet and instability will continue in that part of the world. In that context, it is even more important the EU has countries that are members and friends on its borders which can honour the stability pacts which will form part of the membership and accession rules so important to the enlargement of the EU.
History shows that Ireland has been a huge net beneficiary of the EU since 1973. Many of the people who campaigned for a "No" vote in 1972 have never admitted how wrong they were in terms of the level of employment creation and that, far from our culture being subsumed into a wider European culture, our cultural identity is stronger than ever as demonstrated by the wider appreciation of our music and arts. The low taxation regime, the export markets and the opportunities for job creation that have been given to our business community and from which workers have benefited are unparalleled in our history. Europe has been a tremendous contributor to the low tax regime as well as the market penetration we have achieved for our business products in the last 30 years.
The Tánaiste mentioned that if, in 1973, larger countries like France and Germany had vetoed Ireland, there would have been great disappointment and anger that we could not join just because they did not wish to grow the EU and bring Ireland on board. Had it not been for larger countries such as Germany, and its former Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, the idea of smaller countries having a major say in the development of the EU would not have developed. The "No" campaign gives the impression that if one is small and part of a big club one has no influence, but that depends largely on oneself and one's negotiating capacity. It also depends on the attitude of the larger states that have greater influence and history has shown that those larger countries have been more than willing to bring forward positive measures to assist smaller countries like Ireland in the context of the EU, particularly Germany. Indeed, Germany pays the piper in relation to the financial aspects of the EU and has been more than generous to the Irish economy, has contributed to its success and has assisted in vital national interests brought forward at Council of Ministers meetings.
Enlargement of the EU will happen anyway. The Treaty of Nice proposes to change the rules to improve the cumbersome situation that pertains with ten applicant states. It proposes to change the way the business of the EU is carried out in order to make it more efficient. All our constituents recognise the unwieldy uncertainty about the way decisions are made and their impact on the ordinary citizen. One of the few complaints I have is that the Single Market is not seen to be beneficial to the consumer. The many EU directives issued regarding competition law, business regulations or farming regulations are not seen to be palatable or consumer friendly to citizens. The Government can do more to ensure the consumer has more information and greater opportunity. It should create less bureaucracy and more user-friendly policies that are promulgated at national level to implement the spirit of the EU directives as they impact on us.
If we want more employment and market opportunities, we should vote "Yes", otherwise we will lose friends in Europe, certainly among the applicant countries, their peoples and governments. We should support it not only to make the EU larger and more politically stable but also to allow Ireland to continue to be a major player in the EU and benefit from it as we have done since 1973.
As a young Member, it is appropriate that I speak on the treaty as it represents the future of my generation. Two generations in Ireland have accepted with open hands the benefits of Europe, including farmers in terms of the CAP and workers in terms of social charters. They have welcomed the massive injection of Structural Funds from which all generations have benefited. As we approach a major crossroads in the future of European affairs we seem to be reluctant for various reasons to go forward.
As a young man and a councillor in June 2001, I decided to vote "Yes" but I was not sure I was right. Over the past 12 months, I have come to realise I was right and I am happy to take the jump now. I urge the people of Ireland to vote "Yes" to the Treaty of Nice, to take a step into a new and enlarged Europe which will give us more opportunity than pitfalls. Joining the EU in the first place gave the people of Ireland great opportunity. From what my parents and elders have told me, life certainly improved for them so I see no reason why an enlarged Europe will not bring even greater opportunities for us.
Many of the benefits have been highlighted by many in this debate including those advocating a "No" vote. Ireland, as a country, a nation and an economy, has jumped in leaps and bounds in the last three decades. Sadly, not everyone has benefited from the improved status and well-being but that is due to poor management and an ineffective Government. This must change but it is not a reason to vote "No" to the Treaty of Nice.
The reasons people are wavering on making a decision are widely varied so much work needs to be done to clarify the issues over the coming weeks. Many people have been fed untruths or exaggerated fears on the subject. This debate should help provide the correct information. The people have genuine fears that bad news might follow if the Treaty of Nice is passed. It will not, but the justified fears come from a lack of trust which has been fuelled by the aftermath of the general election. A long list of bad news has appeared from nowhere and, although I do not wish to dwell on it, the Government has a great deal to answer for. I ask the people to heed our party leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, who said that a "Yes" vote on the Treaty of Nice is not a vote for the Government, it is a vote for a strong economy, new opportunities and a secure future, amongst other things.
As I said in a speech in Navan last week, my decision to vote "Yes" to the Treaty of Nice is simple and logical. I have listened to the pros and cons and, in my opinion, the pros carry more weight than the cons because the pros are definite whereas the cons are maybes. By voting "Yes", we will definitely become part of a larger Europe with larger markets and more opportunities and will definitely have a stronger and more respected voice in Europe as well as happier neighbours among the applicant states who will want to do business with Ireland and visit as tourists and spend money here. They will resent us if we vote "No". The cons are based on maybes. We might lose out on Structural Funds, we might get less money for our farmers, we might lose a European commissioner at some stage for a couple of years, but it is up to us, by using our strong voice to make use of the definites and banish the maybes.
I take my lead on this from my friends in Meath who have become totally European in their thinking from their travels, the Internet, cheap international flights and the breaking down of borders. My friends have made contacts in the countries that wish to join us – a right they have earned. After much soul searching, I cannot come up with one plausible reason or practical excuse when I meet these people as to why our answer should be "No". Those in the "No" camp can sabre-rattle and scaremonger but they have not come up with one plausible reason for people to vote "No" and, to take the example of the Good Friday Agreement, I ask the "No" camp to demonstrate what would replace the Treaty of Nice. They can enjoy their moment, they have had their fun but let us now put hearts and heads together, look at the bigger picture and think laterally and not just about the next election. Think of "Sergei" from Poland, "Natasha" from Hungary, "Antonio" from Croatia. Will those in the "No" camp meet these people and explain to them what they are trying to sell to us? It is time to cop on and get real. Let us pull together on this. In Europe we stand united – without it, where are we?
Last December, I visited Berlin. While I was there I went to visit the little museum at Checkpoint Charlie. I was only 12 or 13 years of age when the Berlin Wall came down and the effect it had on people and the division it caused did not hit home with me until I visited the museum. The wall itself has vanished and the intimidation, fear and inhumanity have been replaced by hope. Many people look to us for hope now. Who are we to lay the foundation of another wall by delaying enlargement? By voting "Yes" we will help to put walls and iron curtains firmly into the annals of history.
Cuireadh an díospóireacht ar athló.
Debate adjourned.