I attended the European Council and the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels on 12 and 13 December. I was accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Cowen, and the Minster of State with responsibility for European Affairs, Deputy Roche. The Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, attended the European Council meeting. The conclusions of the European Council have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. I also participated in the extraordinary tripartite social summit in Brussels on 11 December.
It was clearly disappointing that the Italian Presidency was not able to bring the IntergovernmentaI Conference to a definitive conclusion at the weekend. Like others, we had very much hoped a final agreement would be possible. In the end, however, it became clear that the time was not ripe. A basis for compromise, in particular on the key issue of how to define a qualified majority, was not present. In the circumstances there was a general sense that there was little to be gained from prolonging the meeting unduly.
As the next President of the European Council, I undertook to reflect, initially in conjunction with the Italian Presidency, and then consult partners with a view to bringing a report to the spring European Council in March. I hope that in the light of our consultations it might be possible to have a better idea on how and when we can move ahead. In the next couple of weeks we will be considering how best to structure consultations. The entire Presidency team and I will be giving the highest priority to our Intergovernmental Conference responsibilities. In its Presidency Ireland will, on this issue as with others, be even-handed and open. In particular, we have repeatedly made clear that on the question of the voting system, we could live either with the Nice arrangements or the Convention proposals. Nationally, we could accept any reasonable compromise. Therefore, partners may be confident that we will be motivated only by the desire to build consensus.
While the voting system remains the most difficult and prominent issue, it is not the only question to be resolved. Good progress has been made in recent weeks, including progress on issues of particular concern to Ireland. There also seemed to be an emerging consensus on most institutional questions, including the composition of the Commission and the Presidency. I made clear to Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi where Ireland stood on the outstanding questions, emphasising our desire to be positive and constructive.
While I was pleased with the apparent direction of developments and the Italian Presidency's helpful approach to our concerns, particularly in the areas of justice and home affairs and European security and defence policy, there will obviously be no final agreement on any of these issues individually until there is an overall deal. The Italian Presidency has expressed the view that its proposals should stand. Its good work remains the obvious basis for the final stages of the negotiations. I have no doubt that there will be eventual agreement on a constitutional treaty. The open questions are exactly what the nature of the agreement will be and when it will happen.
At the weekend there were many present who thought that the Intergovernmental Conference was unlikely to finish in our Presidency. There was a strong sense that more time would be needed. The situation is complicated by the electoral calendar, not least the European Parliament elections in June.
No Presidency can compel agreement if the political circumstances are not right. I will not promise that the Intergovernmental Conference will finish in our Presidency but equally it would be premature to conclude that it will not. If there is good reason to believe in the light of our consultations that fast progress is possible, I will spare no effort to achieve it. It depends on the overall atmosphere and whether everyone is ready to do a deal.
This is a setback, not a crisis. Pending agreement on a new constitutional treaty and its subsequent ratification, the European Union will continue to function on the basis of the current treaties, as amended at Nice. There is a full programme of work ahead of us and much for the Union to do at home and abroad which does not depend on a new treaty.
Clearly, it would be preferable if agreement was reached as soon as possible. There is a great deal in the current draft, as prepared by the Convention, which is not in dispute and clearly positive: a clearer statement of the European Union's objectives and founding principles; greater certainty as to where its powers begin and end; the simplification of decision-making procedures; a greater role for national parliaments; the enhanced prominence of human rights; the prospect of greater coherence in the Union's external action; and reformed Presidency arrangements.
All of these aspects would contribute enormously to making the European Union more effective in meeting the expectations of citizens and responding to the internal and external challenges it faces. It would also be good to resolve finally the debate about the Union's future institutional framework which has lasted for several years from the time of the Amsterdam negotiation and which has been an ongoing source of tension and uncertainty within the Union. Agreement at the weekend would have been highly desirable but the Union has confronted these difficulties before. It has always united and overcome such difficulties. At a time when its core values of partnership and solidarity have never been more important, I am very confident that the Union will eventually succeed in this endeavour, even if it takes more time than we had hoped.
The meeting of the European Council that preceded the Intergovernmental Conference was very productive. As the conclusions show, the current internal and external agenda of the European Union is broad and diverse. All of the issues on the table will have a significant impact on our Presidency.
There are a number of issues of particular significance for our Presidency. The European Council endorsed the European action for growth initiative. This initiative by the Italian Presidency has enabled the European Union to mobilise investment in areas which will reinforce competitiveness, growth and infrastructural development. The initiative is very important for the Union and will be carried forward by Ireland during our Presidency.
As part of the growth initiative, the European Council noted progress on the Quick Start programme which already includes two Irish projects, the Belfast-Dublin-Cork rail link and a "motorways of the sea" project for port infrastructure. As the list remains open and dynamic, there is further potential to add projects. Two additional Irish projects, the Cork-Dublin-Belfast road project and the Ireland-UK electricity interconnector, have the potential to be added to the Quick Start project list in the near future. We are also looking at possibilities in the broadband and research and development areas.
At the European Council last October I expressed the concern that accounting practices could be obstacles to the implementation of infrastructural programmes. The European Union has now asked member states, together with the European Commission, to act to address any such technical, legal, administrative and accounting obstacles in the implementation of infrastructural projects. This includes the current view by EUROSTAT of the treatment of public private partnerships for national accounts purposes. I am very pleased that this concern has begun to be addressed and that there is an appreciation of the need for a considered approach to removing the other obstacles. Together with growth and competitiveness, employment will be a major priority for the next European Council in the spring. A key element in our consideration of employment will be the recent report of the task force on employment. This report was discussed at the tripartite summit with the European social partners in Brussels on 11 December, a meeting in which I participated.
Following the tripartite summit, I had a meeting with the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Wim Kok, who chaired the task force. We agreed that, if we wished to achieve our employment goals for 2010, it would be important for the European Union to make the structural changes required. We also reached agreement on a range of sites for certain European Union agencies. These included the European Food Safety Authority which will have its seat in Parma, the Maritime Safety Agency in Lisbon and the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki.
Deputies will recall that the Heads of State and Government failed to agree these sites at Laeken in 2001. As such, the agreement at the weekend is clear evidence that a temporary setback can be overcome. The conclusions of the Heads of State and Government on this issue has been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The European Council also noted progress in the justice and home affairs area, including on the management of migratory flows, progress on establishing a European border management agency and agreement on a number of measures in the fight against drugs.
At his request, I met the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, on 11 December, prior to the meeting of the European Council. I conveyed to him the European Union's preference for a united Cyprus to join the European Union on 1 May 2004. I also emphasised that a settlement of the Cyprus problem would greatly facilitate Turkey's membership aspirations. This message was reiterated at the conclusions of the European Council adopted the following day.
The European Council noted a range of foreign policy issues which will impact significantly on the Irish Presidency, including the European security strategy and the declaration on transatlantic relationships. The European security strategy reflects the European Union's and Ireland's commitment to a comprehensive approach to security. It puts effective multilateralism and, in particular, the United Nations at the heart of the EU foreign and security policy.
As the incoming Presidency, Ireland will be responsible for the first phase of the implementation of the security strategy and we will focus on effective multilateralism. Our aim is to give significant EU support to Kofi Annan's UN reform process. We will also give priority to implementation of the EU-UN agreement on co-operation in crisis management.
The declaration on transatlantic relations underlines the importance of the EU's relationship with the US. It emphasises that, by acting together, the EU and the US can be a formidable force for good in the world. This will be a priority for Ireland during the Presidency, as will the proposed EU-US summit to be held during the term.
While it was a successful European Council, it was disappointing that we did not reach agreement in the Intergovernmental Conference on Saturday last. The Irish Presidency will do all in its power to take the process forward. We may or may not succeed in fostering final agreement, but I promise the House and our partners that we will not fail for want of commitment or determination. We will also focus on the other topics on the agenda, in particular the economic challenges facing Europe.
Ireland will hold the Presidency at an exciting an challenging time for Europe. I am confident that Ireland will make a real difference and deliver positive results.