Like others I welcome representatives of the European Movement to the meeting. Along with others, I admire the work it does, particularly the work it has done in recent years as it has adopted a newer, fresher and much more accessible approach to informing people about what happens in the European Union and the European [...]
I thank the Chairman and welcome the MEPs present. It is great to see them here. I hope this will be a more regular occurrence, as dialogue between national parliamentarians and MEPs is helpful.
I welcome the opportunity to speak about the EU citizens’ initiative because it was highlighted during the Lisbon treaty referendum campaign as [...]
I welcome the Minister. He outlined the priorities of the incoming Spanish Presidency, one of which is economic recovery and job creation. I agree with Senator Cummins that this should be a priority for the incoming Presidency. I notice that the issue of the European micro-finance facility for employment and social progress is on the [...]
I apologise for leaving earlier. There were several votes in the Seanad and I was unable to be present. However, I read the delegation’s document and, as the delegation is aware, the Green Party has been very concerned about the cutbacks in the past year to the budgets of the Equality Authority and the Irish [...]
I welcome the Minister and his officials and I commend him on the role he and the Department played in the release of the GOAL workers, Sharon Commins and her colleague. This is the first meeting the committee has had with the Minister since the positive result of the Lisbon referendum about which our fellow [...]
I welcome the ambassador before the joint committee and also the forthcoming Swedish Presidency about which there is a sense of positive anticipation. Obviously, each Presidency of the European Union differs as the member state concerned brings with it its own particular strengths and experience. In the case of Sweden, its highly progressive track record [...]
I thank the Chairman.
I read the IPSC’s document in advance. The delegation has probably covered the ground that was in its document. In the IPSC’s recommendations made in section 4 of the document, it requests that this committee recommends that the Government, first, demand publicly that the Euro-Med agreement under which Israel has privileged access [...]
In attendance: Mr. David Waddell, Mr. Aidan Moore and Ms Jacqueline Moore of the Standards in Public Office Commission
I welcome the representatives from the Standards in Public Office Commission and thank them for their report and the important set of recommendations they have made. We must not be complacent about our democracy. The commission’s role [...]
The Minister covered a number of issues but I will focus on two, the first of which is the European economic recovery plan, about which I have some concerns. The feeling is that it has been rather underwhelming, in the sense that it appears to be more an amalgam of national recovery plans than a [...]
Commissioner Günter Verheugen
Mr. Martin Territt, director, European Commission Representation in Ireland;
Mr. Eckehard Rosenbaum, DG Enterprise and Industry
Andreas Schwarz, a member of the Commissioner’s Cabinet
Senator Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Commissioner and thank him for his presentation.
I shall take up some of the points raised by Deputy Tuffy. In his presentation the Commissioner argued that [...]
