JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN AFFAIRS debate -
Tuesday, 8 Jul 2008

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

No. 3 on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 1 July. The draft minutes of the meeting have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.

No. 4 is correspondence. Correspondence received since the last meeting has been circulated. Item No. R169 is a letter from the interparliamentary unit enclosing correspondence received from the office of Senator Martin Mejstøík, Parliament of the Czech Republic, regarding the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism. This is for notation. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. R170 is a letter from the Ceann Comhairle's office enclosing correspondence received from Mr. Dimitrios G. Sioufas, President of the Hellenic Parliament, informing him that the Hellenic Parliament ratified the Lisbon treaty by a large majority. That is something to make us envious.

Deputy Michael Mulcahy

If only things were so easy.

Deputy Noel Treacy

I congratulate it on that decision and wish it every success.

Chairman

It is proposed to note that item of correspondence. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Joe Costello

It should be noted that the parliament refused to hold a referendum.

Chairman

I noted that point. We could have been saved a lot of trouble.

Item No. R171 is a press release from Migrant Rights Centre Ireland calling on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to advocate fair and practical solutions, including regularisation, in the current EU discussions on undocumented migrant workers. Is it agreed that we note this item? Agreed.

Item No. R172 is a list of proposed measures considered and decisions adopted by the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny at its meeting on 1 July forwarded to the committee for its information. It is proposed to note this item. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We have to deal with a number of items under Any Other Business which we will deal with in private session. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The joint committee went into private session at 3.20 p.m. and adjourned at 3.40 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 July 2008.