Vol. 524 No. 6
146 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if, in view of a number of recent trips to perspective EU member states, he will continue to support enlargement; his views on whether enlargement will have an impact on Irish farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23399/00]
In addition to ensuring political stability by consolidating and strengthening the democratic process in the new member states, enlargement can provide the conditions and the impetus to promote economic and social development to the benefit of both the new member states and existing member states. For these reasons, it is the policy of the Government to support enlargement, a policy with which, of course, I fully concur.
As part of our preparations for enlargement, my officials and I are involved in a programme of exchange visits, at both ministerial and official levels, with the prospective new member states. These visits are most beneficial in terms of reaching an understanding of the issues involved in enlargement and in establishing contacts in the candidate countries. They also are of assistance to the candidate countries in making the legal and administrative arrangements necessary to implement EU legislation.
A precise assessment of the impact of enlargement on Irish agriculture will depend on the outcome of the enlargement negotiations, particularly in relation to the level of restraint on production in the new member states and the related EU budgetary arrangements. It is reasonable to conclude at this stage, however, that enlargement will give rise to more competition on existing EU markets and more opportunities on the markets of the new member states.
Because of such changes in the trading environment which may result from the enlargement of the EU and from the WTO negotiations, as well as factors such as changing consumer tastes, new food distribution channels and general technological developments, I established a group to make recommendations on the development of the Irish agriculture and food industries over the present decade. That group's report entitled Agri Food 2010, was completed earlier this year and I have approved and published a plan of action for the implementation of its recommendations. As a result, I expect that the agriculture and food industries will be well prepared to deal with the challenge of enlargement over the next ten years.
