As I explained to the Deputy, this issue was raised by our delegation and others. This was a work-in-progress discussion the Heads of State and Government were having and it was agreed by everybody that further work was needed in this area. The fact it was highlighted and such work will now take place is an indication that there was not a dismissive attitude being taken to this target no more than other targets. Much official work will be ongoing and Ireland will make its views known.
We have had our own national anti-poverty strategy. The basis upon which these European Union strategies can work is that we need to reflect them as well in national strategies. The total budget of the European Union is less than 2% of total spend in budgets throughout the European Union. National governments have a considerable responsibility to try to integrate the strategies outlined at EU level with national budgets and priorities. Mr. Felipe Gonzales, the former Minister of Spain, who is chairman of the reflection group and who attended the dinner that night and spoke on this question, made this point, that it is important when there are EU strategies that national strategies tie into them. Otherwise getting the outcomes that one expects is less likely unless one applies the resources, the far greater proportion of which are spent at national level than at European level.
On the question of legally binding targets, one is outlining a strategy here. There are directives and various other legal instruments in the implementation of strategies during the course of the period between now and 2020 that can be considered in terms of how one improves the lot of those who are at the lower end of the income scale, but I do not envisage the strategy going into that sort of detail. The strategy must outline the orientation, priorities and general direction in which we can take Europe forward, and how would that feed into subsequent debates on the budget review, etc.
On our own situation, for example, at the meeting I highlighted the fact, which was reflected in the conclusion, with total support from President Sarkozy after I made the intervention, that when one is looking at the future of Europe and providing more jobs in Europe, the biggest manufacturing industry in the European Union is the food and drinks industry, which depends for its primary source of production on agriculture. It is almost getting to be the case in some quarters that one cannot mention agriculture as if one is some hidebound dinosaur from the past who should not be mentioning probably the one effective common policy the European Union enjoys at present. We have competitive advantages in that area and certainly within the European system of agriculture, we ourselves have competitive advantages vis-à-vis other European countries. Whether in food safety, environmental sustainability, the future of rural communities, maintaining indigenous industry, providing for research and development tranches to go into that industry as well as the more esoteric bio-tech, bio-pharm and other such industries, we want to ensure that we do not throw out the baby with the bath water in terms of new strategies. It would not make sense, in any corporate review or in any company looking at what it needs to do for the future in the context of a more trading environment, to decide that the business at which one is biggest within one’s own operation, that is, in terms of manufacturing, should no longer be a fundamental part of how one will compete in the future. That was strongly reflected in the conclusions.
At these work-in-progress meetings, pending the June Council meeting, Ireland makes its voice heard and seeks to make an input to ensure a balance is achieved that not only reflects our priorities but makes sense of the European strategy. There is no point in attending them simply to make a national case. If it can be shown to be in the interests of Europe generally, one is likely to get greater support at the summit table. The new format for European Council meetings, with just Heads of State and Government around the table, allows for better interaction and political debate than in the past when there were large meetings which tended to be more pro forma and scripted.