Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 6 Nov 1991

Vol. 130 No. 5

Adjournment Matter. - European Local-Regional Tier Proposal.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for coming to listen to the motion I have before the House tonight. I hope he will return to Government with a positive approach following my submission.

The present structure of local government does not have any constitutional background. It has a statutory back-up but it is not covered in the Constitution. Local and regional government in Europe does not have any institutional back-up. It is not catered for under the Treaty of Rome and we have a situation where local or regional government has neither a constitutional back-up in the national state not an institutional back-up on a European basis.

The present structures in the EC do not involve a local or regional authority tier under the Treaty of Rome. They comprise the Civil Service which is the Commission. The Commission is different to the Civil Service we have in the national Parliament in so far as it is a Civil Service that can initiate and that would differ greatly from our Civil Service. The Council of Ministers is the ultimate body in the European framework. The European Parliament is the directly elected Parliament of Europe, elected by the people of the 12 member states. There is no other institution and, as a result this country, does not have a direct or institutional voice in Europe. There is a standing conference that is represented by organisations attached to the Council of Europe but that does not have an institutional back-up or framework.

Following a recent proposal by the Commission, I am asking that the amended Treaty of Rome include the proposal I have before the House, that is, that institutional recognition be given to a local and regional authority tier in Europe. It is very simple and straightforward. The proposal came from the Commission and has the backing of the European Parliament and a number of member states. Some member states, I understand, are opposed at this stage and some have not made a decision.

The reason this proposal was put forward by the Commission — I emphasise that this proposal has come from the Commission — is that in 1988 the Commission recognised a void in the operation in so far as the discussion in Europe at that time, and since, was that involvment of local and regional authorities was essential to the development of the new Europe. In response, they asked to have a consultative council appointed consisting of 42 members. Ireland got two members. The General Council of County Councils got the opportunity of nominating one person — myself — and the Association of Municipal Authorities got the opportunity of nominating the other Councillor, Seán McManus of Sligo. Following the nominations by those two organisations, the Department of the Environment, in consultation with the Government, gave the two names to the European Commission and the Commission endorsed the decision of the two organisations and the Government.

The consultative council sits three or four times a year and has had special meetings when particular decisions had to be made. It works extremely well. It deals directly with the Commission and it passed an opinion to the Commissioner for Regional Development, Bruce Millan and also to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ray Mac-Sharry. It has worked so well and the Commission's response has been so positive that earlier this year they decided the time was opportune to insert into the Treaty of Rome a proposal to cover such a body.

It would seem that the proposal would have widespread support. The initial response was positive. The European Parliament and different committees come out in favour of it. I understand that at a full debate in the European Parliament there was an extremely positive response — I am told there was no adverse response — and very shortly a vote will take place which will copperfasten it. However, recently we ran into troubled waters. This happened during the Luxembourg Presidency.

I, as the Irish representative on the consultative council, have decided to bring the matter before this House so that the Irish representatives and the people will understand what is taking place and the implications of not having this decision ratified by the national Government and subsequently entered into the amended Treaty of Rome.

The proposal by the Luxembourg Government is that the consultative council would remain, in name at least, but that it would affiliate itself to the Economic and Social Committee. I have the height of respect for the Economic and Social Committee. It is an opportunity for the trade union movement and others to voice their opinion on matters that concern them at European level. The Economic and Social Committee is not directly elected by the people and that is extremely important as far as I am concerned. Unless the local and regional authorities of this and every other country are elected by the masses of the people, then they are not the true representatives of the regions in Europe. For that reason in common with the consultative council the Commission and the European Parliament, I am opposed to the proposal of the Luxembourg Presidency. I am asking here tonight that the Irish Government support the proposal of the European Commission. I ask for support for the involvement of local and regional authorities in an institutional framework in Europe. I believe that this is in the best interests of this country.

I believe the record of the existing consultative council is evidence to the fact that it can be of major benefit as far as decisions of this country are concerned. There is no truer representation than that which comes from the bottom. There is no conflict between representation in the area of local government, the European Parliament and the final arbiter, which is the Council of Ministers. In fact, we are all in the one boat. We are all in the one boat of securing for this nation the best representation at European level and returning the best benefits that can be accrued from the process of negotiation and lobbying at European level, whether it be in the European Parliament, in a new tier of local or regional government or at the Council of Ministers.

I believe, indeed, that it will strengthen the hand of Members of the European Parliament. It will also strengthen the members of the Council of Ministers. Indeed, in the whole process of European evolvement and development over the next five or six years, it is imperative that there is a local and regional involvement. We are at a stage where this country can attain great benefits on behalf of its people provided there is a consensus, a concerted effort and unity. At this time there is a divison at national level regarding the opportunity of benefits from Europe. At a conference in Galway last Monday, I was quite taken aback by some of the contributions; possibly they were very near the bone. In fact, they were quite true in many cases. The message coming from that conference — and which is coming from other areas also — was that the benefits from the Structural Funds and other funds of Europe are not finding their way very far west of the Pale. That is not fully the case but what is important is that if that perception becomes general it will be very hard for us here to contradict it.

One of the ways of achieving development in this country is to have a strong local and regional authority tier at European level and not just as regards opinion as we have in the consultative council, even through it was a very productive and very beneficial council as far as the Commission were concerned. The new proposals are that it would be involved to the extent that its advice and opinion would be looked for prior to decisions being made not at the behest of the Commission as they stand at the moment. Even though it is a step in the right direction, it does not allow for full involvement of local and regional authorities.

I have an involvement in this area for a number of reasons. First, I am a member of a local authority. Secondly, I am a member of the executive of the General Council of County Councils of Ireland. Thirdly, I am the nominee of the General Council of County Councils in the Seanad. A strong and vibrant local government at national level is of particular importance as far as the development of our nation is concerned. We now have an opportunity of firmly establishing for the future an arm of local and regional government at European level tied into the framework of the amended Treaty of Rome. Our Government should not miss the opportunity on this occasion and they should support this proposal. It is in the best interests of all the people of this country that the decisions taken will be taken very much on a consensus basis so that the rural-urban divisions that are inclined to develop at the moment can be eliminated.

That is my case for the proposals the Commission has made. It is based on a deep and thorough analysis of what is involved and an analysis of local and regional government throughout Europe. I have visited six countries and investigated the whole 12 structures. The German situation would be an ideal one but, obviously, this country is very small for that. The concept of involvement of local and regional authorities under the Treaty of Rome enhances the representation of this country at European level and may prove to be more beneficial than people realise at the moment. The Commission at the moment — this came through loud and clear at our meetings on 8 and 9 October with Commissioner Millan — is now looking more thoroughly at the involvement of the regions and the local areas in proposals that are coming forward. I see this as an opportunity for our Government to join with other Governments who support the proposal. A number of Governments are in support of it but I understand the UK Government are not, but then again I would not think much of the local authority system they have allowed to develop in their country over the past number of years.

I hope our Government, in the interests of local and regional authorities, will support the proposal I am putting before this House and that the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, will go back to the Cabinet with the views I have put forward here and, hopefully, a positive response will come at the Heads of State meeting on 9 December. The future of local and regional authorities and our status here and abroad will be decided. I hope our Government will be to the front in saying that now is the time for institutional representation for local and regional authorities directly elected by the people and not something that is tied to a non-elected committee that is serving a particular purpose but does not, cannot, and never will represent the individual voter.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Mr. Calleary)

I thank Senator Finneran for raising this very important matter and assure him that, like him, I have been a member of a local authority in the west of Ireland and I appreciate the importance of having a say in the regions in Europe.

In the course of the opening stages of the Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union, Germany, which wished to provide a forum in which the views of the states which make up its federal system could be put forward on Community issues, proposed that the revised treaties should contain provisions to establish a body made up of representatives of regional and local authorities.

In line with this, the draft treaty presented by the Luxembourg Presidency in June contained a draft article providing for the creation of a committee of representatives of regonal and local authorities. This would be known as the Committee of the Regions.

The draft treaty proposes that the Committee of the Regions be consulted by the Council or the Commission as specified in the treaty. The committee could also be consulted in all cases where the Council or Commission consider it appropriate. In addition, in any case where the Economic and Social Committee is consulted, the Committee of the Regions may also submit a view if it considers that there are specific regional interests involved.

As its contribution to the debate on this matter in the Intergovernmental Conference, the European Commission tabled its own proposal in relation to such a committee. The Commission envisaged that the new treaty provisions on a committee for the regions and other local authorities should be based on the existing consultative Council of Regional and Local Authorities, set up by Commission decision of 24 June 1988 which was also spoken about by Senator Finneran.

Under the terms of the Commission proposal, the committee will be consulted by the Commission on any matter concerning regional development.

These proposals for a body of representatives of regional and local authorities, having an institutional treaty basis, have not yet been discussed at ministerial level in the Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union. It would not, therefore, be useful to comment on the detailed points of difference between the versions already in the draft treaty and that suggested by the Commission. In our view the committee, as at present proposed in the text of the draft treaty, should be associated with the Economic and Social Committee. Could I emphasise be associated with not subsumed into it? Could I also emphasise that in either version, the committee would enjoy a large degree of autonomy and would be able to decide on its own working procedures? In either version the committee would have its own institutinal basis in the Treaty. I would like to emphasise that point.

It is our view that the establishment of an additional body may help to support further the interests of the regions and we will consider the proposal in the draft treaty very carefully. Our particular concern would be, as I am sure Senator Finneran's concern would be, to ensure the adequate development of the region.

As Members of the House are aware, for the purposes of Community policies, in particular the Structural Funds, Ireland is classified as one region so that the whole country gains maximum benefit. We are able to provide views on the operation of the regional policies of the Community in the Council of Ministers, through our representatives in the European Parliament and through the Economic and Social Committee.

In the Treaty negotiations in both Intergovernmental Conferences the question of convergence between all the regions of the Community has been a fundamental issue for Ireland. While economic and social cohesion policy is already provided for in the Treaty the major steps forward now envisaged in European integration demand, in our view, an enhanced cohesion dimension in the new union. We were very conscious of this in the build up to the Intergovernmental Conferences and we ensured that cohesion was placed on the agenda for both the political union and economic and monetary union conferences. At the very beginning of the two IGCs Ireland submitted a series of Treaty amendments on economic and social cohesion. These included draft treaty texts, in particular to provide that proposals would be made setting out the measures to be taken to strengthen cohesion, that there would be three yearly reviews of progress towards cohesion and the role of various policies in achieving it, accompanied by necessary proposals if progress is unsatisfactory; and that the cohesion aspect to be taken into account in all policies.

In taking the initiative we were able to set the tone for the ensuing debate and we were able to influence the Commission and the other member states in the evolution of the negotiations in this area. Following on our proposals to both conferences, Spain, Portugal and Greece have tabled their own proposals and we have fully supported their contributions to the continuing debate. The draft treaty text on cohesion now largely contains the kind of elements we proposed. We have made it clear that, in addition to Treaty texts, we will require appropriate assurances that the Treaty provisions will be translated into action.

The President of the Commission made an important statement to the Luxembourg European Council in June of this year. He raised a number of points including continued growth in the Structural Funds, the setting up of a major infrastructural programme for funds, a possible special Fund for the Environment and the need to take into account the relative wealth of member states in contributions into the Community budget. The Luxembourg European Council asked the Commission to clarify the various ideas it put forward in this statement in time for the next European Council in Maastricht.

It will be clear from what I have said, that in the IGC negotiations we attach enormous importance to the regional dimension in the Community.

I want to stress that it has been our firm resolve throughout the Treaty negotiations to ensure that all regions benefit from advances in European integration and that solidarity between regions of different economic strength is improved. I can assure this House that this will continue to be this Government's primary concern in the run up to Maastricht and beyond.

In conclusion, may I, therefore, assure this House that, in line with our commitment to a balanced regional development, we will give very careful consideration, indeed, to the proposals I described above, already in the draft treaty texts before the Intergovernmental Conference, for a body composed of representatives of regional and local authorities. I can assure Senator Finneran that his thoughts on the matter will be taken into account.

The Seanad adjourned at 8.50 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 7 November 1991.