JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN UNION AFFAIRS debate

Accountability Report 2010: Discussion with European Movement Ireland

Chairman

I remind everybody that mobile phones must be switched off because they interfere with the communications equipment. To discuss the European Movement Ireland's Accountability Campaign Report for 2010, we are joined by Ms Noelle O'Connor, Ms Billie Sparks and Ms Jenny Flynn. Ms O'Connor is executive director of the European Movement and the delegation will address the committee on the work of the European Movement Ireland and the findings of its 2010 Ireland accountability report and provide an outline of the 2011 report.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that Members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House, or any official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Ms Noelle O’Connor

As the newly-appointed executive director of EM Ireland, I am delighted to have the opportunity to present here today before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs. For the purposes of today's presentation, I intend to provide an outline of European Movement Ireland's work programme for the next 12 to 18 months, an overview of the principal findings of our accountability report for 2010 and briefly to discuss the ongoing work for our accountability report for the 2011 period.

When I assumed this position in April, I noticed that our tag line included the phrase, "EM Ireland campaigns for Europe to be discussed in Ireland every day and not just on referendum days." There has never been more coverage of EU matters in Ireland than there has been recently. Our current tag line now concentrates more on our goal to campaign for Europe to be discussed in Ireland in a fair, reasoned and robust manner, which is something we try to do quite actively through our varied communications work. Given the importance of the role that EM Ireland has played since its foundation in 1954 as the Irish Council for European Movement, particularly our work around Ireland's accession to membership of the EEC in 1973 and more recently our work on the Nice and Lisbon referenda campaigns, our organisation has evolved and continues to evolve, mirroring as it does perhaps, Ireland's evolving relationship with the EU itself.

Nobody can deny that the EU-lrish relationship has undergone significant changes and challenges in recent years in particular. It is no exaggeration to say that significant challenges remain ahead. However, I am reminded of what the Taoiseach said in the Oireachtas on Europe Day last May, "There is more that unites us than divides us." European Movement Ireland has a long and respected legacy of being an independent, non-governmental voice seeking to increase engagement with the EU in Ireland. This voice needs to be heard now more than ever. The recent lpsos MRBI poll in The Irish Times demonstrated that Irish voters prefer by a majority of almost three to one to be part of the EU in the current crisis and more than 41% of Irish voters are confident that the Irish Government will improve the economy. However, Irish voters have little confidence in our European Union leaders. Essentially, the findings of this poll show that the majority of Irish people continue to see Ireland having a place at the European table while conversely feeling that our current European leaders are not doing enough to tackle the economic crisis.

Following a meeting at the weekend with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated her belief that further proposals to strengthen the eurozone will require changes in the EU treaties. This obviously has significant implications for Ireland, as any treaty change transferring more powers to the European Union would require a referendum here. Memories of the double referenda of Nice and Lisbon are still quite fresh, and should a referendum be required, it would be crucial that this debate be robust, reasoned and fair and, most importantly, based on the facts.

The re-engagement with our European partners that this Government has prioritised will assume even greater importance in 2012 as we begin to prepare for the Irish EU presidency in the first half of 2013. That work has already commenced on this project within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of the Taoiseach and other Departments. From our perspective, EM Ireland has been approached by many different NGOs and civil society organisations that are also starting to plan their activities for the 2013 Irish EU Presidency. These organisations are seek guidelines on the priorities for the Irish Presidency so that they can leverage them in terms of their own work plans and campaigns. This level of interest on the ground is certainly a very positive development. It proves that Ireland's re-engagement with the EU and our European partners is something that is resonating across all levels of Irish society and is something that we in EM Ireland look forward to further developing in collaboration with our stakeholders over the coming 12 to 15 months. From today, there are 447 days until Ireland assumes the 2013 EU Presidency.

At the start of 2011, we were very pleased that the Taoiseach accepted our invitation to act as honorary president of European Movement Ireland, as is the long-standing tradition. Unfortunately, we had the passing of two of our founding members, Mr. Declan Costello and Dr. Garret FitzGerald, over the summer. Their contribution to the work of European Movement Ireland and the Irish Council of the European Movement was immense and their passing is deeply regretted.

On the communications front, we have been very active in disseminating our biannual Presidency calendar and e-newsletters, and we have significantly increased our activity and engagement on our social media fora such as Facebook, Linkedln, and Twitter. Our new e-bulletin forms part of our improved member communications services and includes summaries of all the EU-related Oireachtas committees that met in the preceding month, as well as information on European funding opportunities, relevant Commission consultations and current calls for tenders. Our recently-launched "in the news" media service features leading stories related to EU matters and is uploaded to our website on a daily basis and disseminated widely. In addition, we continue to engage on a regular basis with local and national press and broadcast media on Irish and European matters.

Our education and advocacy work has continued to expand in 2011. We have compiled a report of all third level courses on offer in Ireland on European matters entitled "Studying Europe: An Audit of European Union Related Qualifications in the Third-Level Education Sector". We are very grateful for the support of the European Commission Representation for its assistance in the publication and distribution of this report. Copies have been sent to all second level schools, career guidance counsellors, college and university faculties and third-level career offices throughout the island of Ireland. We have some extra copies of the audit here with us if any committee members would like an extra copy.

We look forward to partnering again our key stakeholders in the European Commission Representation, European Parliament Office, Michael Sweetman Trust, European Consumer Centre, CRIS and European Studies in the North for the third version of the "My Vision for Europe" schools competition, for which we are currently accepting entries from secondary schools across Ireland. This all-Island video competition asks secondary school students aged 15-17 to present in video format their vision of Europe, with the winning schools from North and South travelling to Strasbourg to take part in the Euroscola programme. Our Grad Jobs campaign and Green Book publications continue afoot and follow on from our very successful Europe Day event marking the European Year of Volunteering. In relation to Europe Day, we were also very pleased to be invited by the Oireachtas communications unit to take part in what was the first ever public tweet-up from the Dáil Public Gallery on 9 May. I am delighted that the Minister of State, Deputy Lucinda Creighton, has confirmed her attendance to launch Volume 5 of the Green Book, which is a guide to being an Irish stagiaire in Brussels at our Brussels Connection event next Monday, 17 October. We have had a number of very productive meetings with the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and we certainly look forward to supporting her in the new thoughts and initiatives she has as part of her objectives for her Department.

At the end of June, I had the opportunity to attend the European Economic and Social Committee conference on the European Citizens' Initiative in Brussels, which was extremely informative. This is an area in which EM Ireland intends to be very active once the legislation comes into force in early 2012. In fact, EM Ireland has already begun work on hosting a citizens' initiative briefing session in November for interested stakeholders. EM Ireland is uniquely placed to be the central conduit for information, advice and assistance for Irish citizens and organisations interested in setting up their own citizens' initiative, given our Europe-wide contacts through our network of different European Movement councils. There is a real appetite for citizen engagement in politics in Ireland at present, as can been seen from initiatives such as Claiming our Future and We the Citizens. EM Ireland believes it is crucial that this new European citizens' initiative democratic tool is given all the support required to give it credibility and maximum exposure in Ireland.

I commend the new Joint Committee on European Union Affairs for its work in the new Oireachtas. It has been extremely encouraging to see the commitment and determination for an ambitious work programme on the part of this Oireachtas committee. Since the start of the 31st Dáil, EM Ireland has been attending the Oireachtas committee meetings as part of our ongoing research for the accountability report which I will now go through in greater detail.

Members will be aware that earlier this year, EM Ireland published the accountability campaign report for 2010. I am very proud of the incredible hard work that went into the inaugural 2010 report and we look forward to developing the campaign further in advance of the 2011 accountability report to be launched early next year. Our 2010 report was successful in achieving good national coverage despite the fact that its launch on 21 July happened to coincide with another very important event that was taking place in Brussels that day.

The publication of the report served to highlight Irish engagement with the EU throughout the 2010 period by tracking a series of 12 key measurable indicators and outlining where improvements could be made. The findings indicate real opportunities for enhanced engagement between Ireland and the EU at many levels. We are pleased to note that the current programme for Government outlines clear goals for how it plans to engage with the EU, and European Movement Ireland looks forward to tracking these developments for our 2011 accountability report.

We all know that there is often a tendency in Ireland to hold Brussels responsible for everything EU related. Public institutions obviously play a large role in what goes on at an EU level but our Irish representatives also have a big part to play in EU processes. While reforms are obviously needed at an EU level, we believe a lot of work can be done to improve our own domestic processes dealing with European affairs.

One focus of the accountability campaign has been to highlight who is responsible for decision making in the EU and to encourage greater ownership of each player's role in EU affairs. We have done this by breaking down in simple terms where the decisions that affect Ireland are made, who they are made by and tracking key indicators in each stage of the legislative process as follows:

Institution		Indicator
Pre-legislative Influence	1.	Percentage of Irish submissions to key European consultations
Parliament Influence	2.	MEP positions (i.e. Committee Chair, Rapporteur etc.)
	3.	Votes taken
	4.	MEP attendance
Final Voting and Decision Making	5.	Percentage Irish ministerial attendance
	6.	Number of consensus decisions
	7.	Number of double majority decisions
	8.	Ireland’s voting record
Scrutiny and Implementation	9.	Percentage of draft legislation further scrutinised
	10.	Percentage attendance at Oireachtas committees
	11.	Issues discussed
	12.	Number of occasions Oireachtas invokes SI scrutiny
Deputy Paschal Donohoe,	Senator Fidelma Healy Eames,
Deputy Timmy Dooley,	Senator James Heffernan,
Deputy Bernard J. Durkan,	Senator Terry Leyden.
Deputy Colm Keaveney,
Deputy Seán Kyne,

The key findings of the accountability report 2010 are as follows. Average Irish MEP attendance at plenary sessions stood at 86% for 2010. Overall, Irish MEPs asked nearly 1,000 parliamentary questions throughout 2010. Eleven out of 12 Irish MEPs ranked among the top 100 for most parliamentary questions asked. This is an impressive figure, taking into account the fact that there are 736 MEPs in the European Parliament in total.

With regard to ministerial attendance at Council, 82 European Council meetings took place during 2010 and 73 of these occurred without any pre-Council briefing taking place with Members of the Oireachtas. The Department of Foreign Affairs was the only Department which provided pre-Council briefings. I note that this is something that the recent programme for Government hopes to improve upon as it states that for the first time, Ministers will be obliged to appear before Oireachtas committees prior to making decisions at European Council meetings, as will the Taoiseach in the Dáil, which is very much welcomed by EM Ireland. Overall, Irish ministerial attendance at Council for 2010 stood at 77%, with either a lead Minister or Minister of State attending 63 out of a total of 82 meetings held in 2010. The European Council had the best record in terms of Irish attendance with a rate of 100%, while the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council had a ministerial attendance rate of just 33%.

The attendance for both European affairs and EU scrutiny committees in 2010 was 58% and 55% respectively while the average level of attendance at Oireachtas committees for 2010 was 62%, thereby indicating that in comparison with other committees, European affairs and EU scrutiny were below average in their attendance rates.

Out of a total of 36 meetings during 2010, the Joint Committee on European Affairs discussed issues related to Irish and European finances and the IMF on five occasions. Separately, foreign affairs related issues were discussed a total of nine times. Within these nine foreign affairs discussions, the Middle East and Israel was the focus of attention on a total of six occasions.

Last year, more than 100 Commission consultation processes on different topics were initiated by more than 20 Directorates General of the European Commission. Of these, 27 were deemed relevant to Ireland, and for the purposes of this report, we analysed 20 of them. Up to 5% of the total submissions made originated in Ireland, of the 142 that can be ascertained, with the EU average at 1.6%. Relative to our population, Ireland is performing well in this regard. In terms of engagement with and influence over the shaping of EU policy, however, the figures outline potential for enhanced Irish engagement. Irish submissions were much more likely to come from organisations or individuals than the State or public authorities. Also, submissions are even less likely to come from private companies.

As 2010 was the first year of our accountability report, we welcome any feedback the committee may have as we work to improve and expand the report for 2011. We have already received some comments and suggestions but we welcome any further feedback committee members may like to contribute. We have several copies of the accountability report here with us and the report is available for download from our website should any member wish to review this report further. With respect to the 2011 version of the report, work has already begun and we are in the midst of compiling preliminary statistics and indicators for 2011. However, it is too early to draw any premature analysis. I can say however, that one new development that we look forward to including in the 2011 report will be a comparison of ministerial attendance at Council meetings for all 27 countries in order to further expand and develop the report through useful comparisons with our fellow EU member states. One challenge for us in the compilation of the 2011 report will be the different structures in place under the 30th and 31st Dáil, particularly in relation to the Oireachtas committees dealing with Europe. We are delighted that this committee has taken such a keen interest in EM Ireland's accountability campaign and we would be happy to appear in front of this committee again to present our 2011 report at a date in 2012 following its launch and publication.

Given the importance of the run-up to the Irish Presidency of the European Council in early 2013, the next 447 days are critical in terms of the Irish EU relationship. With a strong programme of activities in the area of communications, education, advocacy and research, EM Ireland is committed to ensuring we continue to engage the connection between Irish people and the EU.

I would like to conclude with the words of one of the former directors of the Irish Council of the European Movement, the late Michael Sweetman, whose life was commemorated at a book launch last night. Speaking in relation to Irish membership of what was then the European Economic Community, Mr. Sweetman summarised:

There are compelling economic reasons for Ireland to seek full membership of the Community. The EEC concept seems to offer a small country like Ireland new opportunities for political initiative and participation in decision making at European level.

I believe his words, which were originally commissioned by The Irish Times in July 1971 for a special report, still have significant resonance for the Ireland of 2011.

I am grateful for the opportunity to present before the committee today and I welcome any comments members may have on European Movement Ireland's accountability report and our work overall.

Chairman

I thank Ms O'Connell for a very comprehensive report and for her valuable work in monitoring the various activities on the Irish domestic scene and how Ireland is engaging with the institutions of the European Union. It is interesting to note that European Movement Ireland, formerly known as the Irish Council for the European Movement, was established in 1954, which means it is a total of 57 years in existence and well before Ireland joined the European Community. The organisation has a long track record and its work must be taken seriously. Ms O'Connell's presentation demonstrates the engagement of the organisation with the Irish citizenry and institutions and with the European institutions.

Ms O'Connell referred in her presentation to The Irish Times-IPSOS survey which indicated a three to one ratio in favour of EU membership, despite the economic crisis, but which showed a distrust and suspicion of EU leadership. This has been the character of the relationship between Ireland and the EU over the years. The community at large is suspicious but also recognises that Europe is good for Ireland. The question is how to marry the two and progress.

I am pleased to hear that Ms O'Connell is happy with the programme for Government and the changes suggested in the programme with regard to our relationship with the European institutions. The Taoiseach will brief this committee prior to European Council meetings and the committees will examine matters in a more streamlined fashion. Sectoral committees will consider the issues arising and Ministers will brief their relevant committees before they attend European meetings. I presume in its future examinations of accountability that European Movement Ireland will monitor these meetings.

Much of Ms O'Connell's analysis is in line with the analysis undertaken by the previous committee under the chairmanship of Deputy Bernard Durkan. The committee and the Government streamlined the manner in which they conducted European business. This has now been included in the programme for Government and this is welcome.

The committee engaged in a special project in the Middle East and Israel and Deputy Durkan may wish to elaborate. This is how the committee intends to proceed, by focusing on particular issues and seeing them through. It was a very turbulent time in the Middle East and the committee decided to undertake an investigation of the issue and make recommendations. I invite members to ask questions and to make observations.

Deputy Timmy Dooley

I welcome the delegation. The committee has always had a very good relationship with European Movement Ireland and I have no doubt this will continue under the new directorship. I welcome Ms O'Connell and her delegation and I wish to recognise Ms Andrea Pappin, the previous director, who worked very well with this committee.

I commend the delegation's report which is excellent. It is clear much thought has been given to what needs to be done over the coming months and years ahead. I refer to the Chairman's point about the concentration of activity on the situation in Israel and Gaza. The committee examined the situation from the perspective of the neighbourhood agreement between Europe and Israel. We undertook an analysis of the agreement to understand whether the human rights aspect of the covenants within that agreement had been broken and undermined by Israel.

With reference to what Angela Merkel said a few days ago, it was clear even before she made those statements that we are moving towards treaty change. I will not make a political point but I was disappointed that some political actors from all sides seemed immediately to put up the hands of opposition to treaty change. Ireland has a significant job of work to do to get beyond the notion of resistance to a treaty before we even know the facts. Part of this resistance is as a result of the difficulties we faced with the Nice and Lisbon treaties. We know some of the reasons for those difficulties. We have to get rid of the notion of there being issues about treaties and we need to broaden the debate to decide what we are trying to achieve in changes to treaties. The mention of the words "treaty" or "referendum" with reference to Europe immediately results in all the wrong noises before any of the facts are explained. A greater engagement at the political level is needed. I can understand why some politicians were showing some concern in recent days but we need to learn to keep our mouths shut and wait for the details.

I refer to past treaty changes and campaigns. These were straightforward when people could see the benefits of the treaty under consideration and its concrete proposals. It became more difficult when one had to consider proposals that were less obvious, less concrete and there seemed to be less benefit for Ireland. While we might have difficulties with treaty change, the Germans and the French - the Germans in particular - have serious issues about giving us the kind of benefits we and other countries need at the minute. There needs to be a little more group thinking at both political level and from media commentators. I suggest there is a job of work in this area for European Movement Ireland.

This committee and a sub-committee did significant work in this regard in the interregnum between the two Lisbon referenda. We brought witnesses before the committee in an effort to broaden the European debate. It was made clear to the committee that unless and until the Oireachtas discussed in both greater detail and broader terms the benefits of Europe and the issues relevant to people's lives, these would not seep into the ether and be covered by the media and would not become part of the vernacular discussion. Politicians are inclined to deal with issues as they arise and our engagement with European Movement Ireland, a civil society organisation, could be very helpful. I invite the delegation to revert to the committee with proposals on how we could enhance, improve or develop initiatives in partnership with civil society organisations such as themselves. These should avoid using political speak and jargon but help to make what we do more relevant to the average person. Subject to the approval of the Chairman and the committee members, I am confident the committee would be very willing to co-operate with the organisation and to implement any ideas to help break down those barriers. The average person who is concerned with paying his or her mortgage is not entirely concerned about issues such as the minutiae of scrutiny or the next agenda or neighbourhood agreements. I welcome any ideas from the delegation in this regard.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I welcome the delegation and I congratulate European Movement Ireland on its presentation and ongoing commitment to the concept. The issues raised and contained in this report are very relevant to this committee. A consideration we must always bear in mind, and which is always there to be addressed, is the reality of evolution. Change occurs all the time, and we must adapt to change. Moreover, we must combat issues as they arise and be cognisant that issues will arise. We need constant vigilance. I note the delegates' reference to the attendance at meetings of the various constituent bodies of the European institutions, including ministerial meetings, Council meetings and so on. There is a tendency here to isolate ourselves from the important issues, to withdraw or resile from the centre of the debate in Europe and pretend it does not yet affect us and, if it does at a later stage, we will kick up a row at that point. That approach simply does not work. The difficulty at meetings of this committee has always been to generate sufficient interest in what is seen as a less than exciting subject. That is where the problem arises.

We all campaigned in support of the referendum on the Lisbon treaty and, given that we can read, we knew well what we were campaigning for. There is no sense in somebody taking the lead in Europe afterwards and saying this is what will happen now. The treaty stands and anybody wishing to change it will have to renegotiate to that effect. If that happens, so be it, but let it be clear in everybody's mind that each country within the European Union is entitled to its views. We should not be criticised publicly on the basis that we do not have the right to be there or, as is the view in certain quarters, that in order to achieve something, one must concede something. That is a new negotiating concept. In all my time in the Oireachtas I have never seen that concept used anywhere except in the case of war. This is not a case of war; rather, it is about European cohesiveness. It is about the European peoples coming together in common cause under a set of common objectives. It should not be about one member state overcoming the others, socially, politically or economically. The bottom line is that each member state has an equal entitlement. Darwin's theory should not be seen to prevail in this instance.

We have spoken many times in this committee of the need to redefine the vision of Europe. That type of vision requires a common objective and a concerted striving towards it. The European institutions progressed extremely well for 50 years because they had a common goal towards which everybody worked. The first test came three years ago in the form of the economic crisis, whereupon people immediately began to go in different directions. Some genuinely sought a resolution, and I pay particular tribute to Mr. Van Rompuy, Mr. Barroso and others who engaged in a constructive manner to seek a solution and preven a recurrence of the problem. There is no question that the European institutions were slow to respond. That lethargy in itself caused further problems because it led to a loss of confidence in the institutions internationally. What annoys me above all as a Member of the Oireachtas - although it does not worry me at all - is that we seem to have lost that cohesiveness. Several countries, including ourselves from time to time, have gone off on solo runs. The reality is that Europe simply cannot progress on that basis in the future.

Redefinition of the vision for the Union is imperative. We must avoid red herrings such as the proposal that there be a common Agriculture Minister. That is utter nonsense. We have institutions and structures in place whereby all the Agriculture Ministers, Finance Ministers, Prime Ministers and so on can co-operate for the benefit of all. It does not require that one party should become dominant over the others. We should bear in mind that the Stability and Growth Pact structures are in place but were ignored. We hear a great deal about the European Central Bank these days, but the reality is that the central banks of the various constituent countries of the eurozone have been represented on the ECB for several years. There has been interaction between all of the institutions. It does not require a super-Minister or super-banker to preside and adjudicate over the institutions, provided that the communication is in both directions, as required under any democratic political structure. I do not know why we cannot rediscover that concept. The encroachment of centralised thinking applies not only but throughout the world.

Various discussion groups throughout Europe, such as the Crans Montana Forum, regularly bring together a range of influential academics, politicians, business people and so on to discuss issues relevant to member states. We tend not to attend these meetings because they may not tie in with parliamentary business or we wish to avoid criticism for allegedly engaging in too much foreign travel. Nobody wants to travel abroad; it is much easier to live life at home. However, the reality is that our future is being discussed at these meetings and, as such, it is vital that we engage seriously with the organisations concerned. I fully support the Chairman's point on the need for this committee to make a contribution on issues such as Bosnia and the Middle East. If we do not engage with such matters we cannot criticise anybody else for the same failure.

Deputy Seán Kyne

I apologise for being late; I had to attend another meeting. I welcome the delegates and commend them on their work. There has been a great deal of discussion since this economic crisis emerged regarding the structures and objectives of the European project. I have seen a shifting of attitudes towards the EU in the west of the country, with opposition to directives on turf-cutting, septic tanks and so on. There is a general hardening of attitudes. That type of opposition was less pronounced when money was flowing into the country from Europe, but difficulties arise when the tough medicine has to be taken.

I welcome the delegates' report. It is good to have an NGO analysing and engaging with the EU and reporting to Oireachtas Members and citizens. It is important that our MEPs are monitored. Is information disseminated to the public in terms of MEPs' activities, proposals and issues raised by them? Notwithstanding that a certain level of self-promotion is inevitable, is there any analysis of their performance?

Following the defeat of the first referendum on the Lisbon treaty an analysis was done of the reasons for its rejection. Going back to my days in local government, county development plans were published in draft form after which there would be submissions and a debate before the final document was published.

Is there a better way of proceeding in the context of encouraging a debate on a draft version of a treaty, obtaining people's views and identifying their concerns? During the referendum campaign on the Lisbon treaty, discussion centred on matters which were not contemplated by that treaty. We need to identify the matters about which people are concerned before we sign off on a treaty, as opposed to signing off on it, seeking an analysis and then trying to procure guarantees similar to those we obtained in respect of the Lisbon treaty.

On education, does European Movement Ireland have a role to play with regard to the CSPE programme in secondary schools? I imagine that the transition year programme would provide a good opportunity to engage with young people and encourage them to become interested in and understand the European project.

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames

I apologise for my brief absence. I was obliged to attend in the Seanad for a vote.

It was revealed in the Upper House this morning - this matter was also discussed at yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade - that there are 57 items of EU legislation which have not been scrutinised. It also emerged in the Seanad that since the introduction of the Lisbon treaty, 132 draft versions of legislation have been sent to the Oireachtas for comment but only one of these has been commented upon. These items of legislation and directives affect people's lives. I am sure the Chairman will want to comment on this matter. As everyone is aware, there used to be a Joint Committee on European Scrutiny. Its work has been devolved to sectoral level and there is a great deal of merit in that. However, time should be dedicated - either in the Seanad or at each of the committees - to examining EU directives. Deputy Kyne and I have witnessed how the implementation of previous directives relating to special areas of conservation, natural heritage areas, and so on affected the lives of people who live in Connemara in the context of turf cutting and other matters. When members of the public are not up to speed with regard to what is happening, everyone tends to lose out.

I compliment our guests on their work. Will they indicate the nature of their input in the context of making matters easier for people? Do they liaise with Members of the Oireachtas? What links do they have with Irish MEPs in respect of EU legislation? There is fallout from the various directives which affects every Irish citizen.

European Movement Ireland runs the "My Vision for Europe" competition in schools. Who is responsible for co-ordinating this competition in schools and what is the level of take-up in respect of it? Is it a new competition or has it been run on an annual basis for several years?

Ms Noelle O’Connell

A number of interesting questions were posed in respect of a variety of topics. I propose to deal with them in their entirety and I invite members to intervene if I inadvertently omit to deal with any of the matters raised.

The Chairman raised an extremely interesting point in the context of committees engaging in special projects. As an organisation, we were obliged to enter upon a very steep learning curve when compiling our accountability report for 2010. This is the first occasion on which we have published such a report and an incredible amount of work went into its production. We will definitely take on board the Chairman's suggestion and examine the possibility of expanding our discussion and focus on the role and remit of the committees for our 2011 report. We look forward to obtaining an overview from members in respect of the special projects in which the committees are involved in order that we might provide information on them in our report for this year.

Statistics really only tell one side of the story. If we had included any more statistics, our report would have run to well more than 70 or 80 pages and, in the context of printing costs, this would probably have caused problems from a budgetary perspective. We welcome the feedback on this and we will examine the possibility of incorporating additional statistics in our future reports.

Deputy Dooley is correct. Tribute must be paid to my predecessor, Ms Andrea Pappin. I only joined the organisation at about the same time as this committee was established. Therefore, a great deal of the work relating to the report was done in 2010 by Ms Sparks, Ms Flynn and a number of stagiaires. The report is a good example of what can be achieved by a small, independent, not-for-profit civil society organisation.

The Deputy raised a number of extremely interesting points in respect of treaty debates and referenda. I agree that anything relating to this should be discussed on its merits. There is a need for greater engagement at political level. As an organisation, European Movement Ireland would welcome the opportunity to explore how we might work with this committee in increasing the level of engagement and enhancing communications efficacy. It was good to see, as indicated by the results of The Irish Times-MRBI poll, that by a majority of three to one Irish people are aware of the benefits we obtain on foot of our membership of the EU. Despite all the discussion about the crisis affecting not just the eurozone but the entire world, there is a strong recognition among Irish people that it is to our benefit to remain within the EU. That should be our overriding priority and we cannot afford to lose sight of it.

I will not deny that it is a challenge to communicate the merits and benefits of EU membership to the Irish people, particularly when there is a lack of concerted political leadership on the issue. When one considers the various initiatives being taken by the different actors, it is obvious that even further challenges arise. However, there are still significant actions which can be taken. It would be good if we could try to communicate in a manner that is as free of jargon as possible. As a people, we have become far more expert in economic matters in recent years than would have been the case heretofore - that is certainly true in my case. This, in itself, gives rise to challenges and issues in the context of communication.

With regard to Deputy Durkan's comments, we recognise that there has been an evolution in the relationship between Ireland and Europe. That evolution is ongoing. I fully agree that we are entitled to our views. Each country in the European Union is an equal member. There is certainly room for us to redefine what it means to be European and to identify how Ireland can continue to play an important role as an equal and valued member of the Union. Again, this is an aspect of which we should not lose sight.

Deputy Kyne posed several very interesting questions. For example, he inquired with regard to how we disseminate to the public information on the activities of Irish MEPs. I am happy to report that our organisation has a very strong working relationship with all of this country's MEPs. We try to promote their work and the programmes and activities in which they are involved on our membership database and via the usual social media fora, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. We try to provide as much traction as possible in respect of our MEPs. Our accountability report shows that Irish MEPs are doing a fantastic job and 11 out of the 12 of them are in the top 100 for tabling the most parliamentary questions at the European Parliament.

I draw to the attention of the committee the fact that the sole focus cannot just be on attendance at the European Parliament. That is a matter about which we are extremely strict. We highlight the positions - rapporteur, and so on - Irish MEPs hold on committees in the parliament. In the context of considering the work of our MEPs within the European Parliament, for us, as an organisation, the full value of our accountability report will only really emerge when the term of office of those MEPs comes to an end. This was the first year and therefore it does not give the entire picture. That is something we look forward to doing in future years.

Regarding whether there is a better way of trying to generate debate about Europe, there is. As an organisation we pride ourselves on communicating Europe in as jargon-free a manner as possible. The members will recognise that that is a challenge. It is not easy. We have a number of different membership bases such as second and third level students, the education sector, politicians and the broader public and it is a challenge to try to communicate the role of the European Union and of this committee to a disparate audience but it is something we are committed to and we look forward to working with the committee on that.

Senator Healy Eames asked about the My Vision for Europe schools competition. We are in the third year of that competition which is very much supported by the European Parliament. We are the principal co-ordinating body for that programme. Last year between 30 and 40 schools submitted a video. We are somewhat unfortunate because the snow last December affected the submission deadline. We hope we will not suffer the same consequences this year. It is a great programme and a competition which is very much supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs also under the Communicating Europe Initiative. It gets a great deal of coverage among the transition year student population throughout the island of Ireland. It is something we are committed to and we look forward to seeing the competition continue in the coming years.

Senator Healy Eames might send me the statistics she referred to because what she stated about the legislation is going against what is in our 2011 report. She has highlighted what we have been trying to address in the accountability report presented today. I agree with the Senator that that is worrying. We must be cognisant of the ability of the Oireachtas to have the resources to deal with that in comparison with other European Parliaments.

If I might make one or two other points, first, the representatives will always be welcome to attend any and all of our meetings. The work they are doing is important. Essentially, the work the witnesses are doing is not accountability work. They are not Big Brother - or, should I say, three big sisters - keeping an eye on our activities in that their main function is to communicate the activities of the European Union to the Irish and ensure maximum engagement with EU institutions. That is extremely important, including in respect of treaty changes, as discussed with Deputy Dooley. It is a question of our knowing precisely what we are talking about. I particularly like the emphasis European Movement Ireland places on modern social networking as a means of communication. It is very valuable and we must introduce it into our own activities. I acknowledge the reference to school competitions.

The witnesses referred to their project on the European Citizens' Initiative. It is good for somebody to take responsibility for that and to determine how best it can be developed and utilised. There is not much sense in providing a mechanism to include citizens further in the agenda unless the structure is put in place to enable it. I presume European Movement Ireland will be the main enabler in the years to come. I look forward to that.

This committee has new thinking in the sense that it has divested itself of some of its responsibilities with a view to taking on others. We envisage the committee engaging in some serious projects but essentially combining responding to material that comes from the European Union with being proactive and inputting material into the decision-making process. In the past, committees were not able to do this for a variety of reasons. We are very anxious that the committee will get involved in generating ideas on the work programme of the Commission, for example, and that instead of always trying to scrutinise proposals, it will table proposals. We hope to achieve this in the interest of Ireland and the Union as a whole. In that respect, we will welcome ideas from European Movement Ireland from time to time.

We will be giving a more precise role to MEPs who attend meetings of the committee. MEPs from all over Ireland are entitled to attend meetings of this committee but part of our agenda will be set by them one day per month. We will be seeking to engage them. The times of our meetings largely take into account the flight times of MEPs such that they will be able to engage with us.

When European Movement Ireland takes up its accountability role, it is important that it understands where we are coming from and what we are trying to do. It will be interesting to see how well it believes we will have fulfilled our function by the end of 2012, bearing in mind that our Presidency will be in 2013.

I thank the witnesses for attending. What they had to say was very valuable. The members appreciate it and look forward to European Movement Ireland's report on 2011. I hope we will get decent marks.

The joint committee went into private session at 12.45 p.m. and adjourned at 1 p.m. until 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, 20 October 2011.

JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN UNION AFFAIRS debate - Thursday, 13 Oct 2011

Accountability Report 2010: Discussion with European Movement Ireland

Ms Noelle O’Connor

Ms Noelle O’Connell

Ms Noelle O’Connell

Ms Noelle O’Connell

Ms Noelle O’Connell

Ms Noelle O’Connell

JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN UNION AFFAIRS debate -
Thursday, 13 Oct 2011