Dáil Éireann

DÁIL ÉIREANN AN COMHCHOISTE UM GHNÓTHAÍ AN AONTAIS EORPAIGH JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN UNION AFFAIRS Dé Máirt, 24 Meán Fómhair 2019 Tuesday, 24 September 2019 The Joint Committee met at 12.30 p.m. Comhaltaí a bhí i láthair / Members present: Seán Crowe, Paul Coghlan, Bernard J. Durkan, Gerard P. Craughwell, Seán Haughey, Terry Leyden. Mattie McGrath, Frank O’Rourke. I láthair / In attendance: Martina Anderson, MEP; Matt Carthy, MEP; Ciarán Cuffe, MEP; Frances Fitzgerald, MEP; Billy Kelleher, MEP; Seán Kelly, MEP; Naomi Long, MEP; Grace O’Sullivan, MEP; and Mick Wallace, MEP. Teachta / Deputy Michael Healy-Rae sa Chathaoir / in the Chair. 1 JEUA Engagement with MEPs elected from Constituencies in Ireland Chairman: I remind members to ensure their mobile phones are switched off. This is important as they cause serious problems for the broadcasting, editorial and sound staff. We will have an engagement via video conference with MEPs elected from constituencies in Ireland. I am delighted to welcome the new and returning MEPs from constituencies in Ireland, including Northern Ireland. I congratulate each and every one of them on his or her recent election to the European Parliament and wish him or her the very best of luck in his or her new term. The European Parliament plays a vital role in representing citizens. The committee has a strong appreciation of the role played by MEPs. We very much value their insight into and expertise in dealing with European issues. This opportunity to engage with them is very important. I am delighted to pilot this way of engaging with them. We are very interested in hearing about their priorities, the work they have started since the elections, the priorities of the com- mittees of which they are members in getting ready for the Commissioner hearings and how the European Parliament considers the state of play on Brexit which, as we all know, is changing not by the hour but by the half hour. This is the first of what I hope will be many engagements between Members in Dublin and MEPs in Brussels and Strasbourg via video link. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person outside the Houses or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by abso- lute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are only entitled thereafter to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence concerned with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. As I said to members before the start of the public session, the meeting will work best if we manage to have an open discussion. I do not want it to be rigid in the sense that we hear first from the MEPs and then have members ask questions. I want it to be more fluid as we all know one another. On a personal note, to the MEPs in Brussels, some of whom are newly elected, while others have represented us ably in the past, I say I have no doubt that the people we send to Brussels from whatever political party and none are extremely experienced politicians. They started at what I call the grassroots level of politics and worked their way up. They are now our public representatives in Brussels. I am very proud of each and every one of them following his or her election. I know that they will do their level best to represent all of us to the very best of their ability. This is what I call a friendly committee in that we very much work together and have done so for a number of years. We thank the MEPs for giving of their time. 2 24 SEPTEMBER 2019 We will start with questions from the Vice Chairman, Senator Leyden. Senator Terry Leyden: I send greetings from Leinster House to Brussels. I hope the MEPs can hear us loud and clear. I congratulate them on their election. I say, “Well done,” to Mairead McGuinness, First Vice President of the European Parliament, for the excellent work she has been doing for a long time in Brussels. I congratulate Luke Flanagan; Matt Car- thy; Maria Walsh; Barry Andrews who will take up his position, depending on the outcome of Brexit; Seán Kelly; my former colleague in the Seanad, Grace O’Sullivan, whom we were sorry to lose because she was a terrific contributor, but I am sure she will bring the great commitment she showed in the Seanad to the Europe Parliament where she will certainly be a great addition; Mick Wallace, to whom I also say, “Well done,”; and Deirdre Clune who will join the Irish MEPs in due course when Brexit is concluded. There will probably be an agreement, but whatever the outcome, I do not see the United Kingdom continuing to have MEPs in Brussels. However, sin scéal eile. I congratulate Phil Hogan on his reappointment by the Government as Irish Commissioner and his nomination by the President of the European Commission as Commissioner for Trade designate, subject to the approval of the European Parliament. That will be a matter for the MEPs. I know that he will be a Commissioner for all of Europe, but he will also be of tremen- dous assistance to the Government and all others throughout Europe in the work he has been and is doing. I also acknowledge his commitment to and work in the area of agriculture. I do not have many questions for the MEPs because they have only just taken up their roles. Some of them were outgoing MEPs. The few I can see are new MEPs and just getting to know the ropes in the European Parliament. As the Chairman said, what is of vital importance is the position on Brexit. I would like to hear about the discussions they have had in that regard as they have a very important role to play as MEPs. It is not us, as members of the committee, but they who will have to ratify the agreement reached between the European Union and the United Kingdom, which is a major responsibility. Irish MEPs will play a vital role in that regard because what they say in Brussels will be listened to as this is the country that will be most affected by the decision of the United Kingdom Government to leave the European Union. On the renegotiation of the Common Agricultural Policy, because of the deduction of fund- ing from the United Kingdom, it will not receive the share of the pool. Northern Ireland farmers will not receive any of the money, nor will British farmers. It is vitally important that Irish MEPs seek to protect the Common Agricultural Policy. There cannot be any reduction in subsidies. They are well aware of the dispute between farmers and the meat factories. If there is any cut in subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy, it will leave farmers in dire straits, even worse off than they are now. I come from an agricultural area where we depend greatly on the subsidies paid by the European Union for organic suckler cow herds. I will be relying on all Members of the European Parliament to ensure they will fight tooth and nail to preserve the subsidies payable under the Common Agricultural Policy at the maximum rate. I am in favour of capping them at a reasonable amount, not the major amounts paid to individuals. Chairman: We will start with Mick Wallace, if he wishes to reply. Mr. Mick Wallace: I thank the Chairman and Senator Leyden for all of their kind words. It has taken us a while to find our feet. Everything is very different, but we are trying. On Brexit, if truth be told, we are very much at the mercy of what the British will decide. They do not yet know what they want, where they are going or what will happen. Therefore, it 3 JEUA is very hard for anyone else to know. Anything could happen. It is not guaranteed that it will happen but, obviously, it looks like it will. The shape of it is very much in the hands of the Brit- ish and there is not much that others can do about it. There will be opportunities to question some of the new Commissioners next week. There was a lot of debate over the election of President-elect von der Leyen but whether things change very much remains to be seen. She talked a lot about an emphasis on environmental issues from now on. Whether she matches that talk with deeds remains to be seen. Hopefully, she will match it with actions. If one had attended or watched the plenary for the three different weeks during which we were in Strasbourg, one could see that the environment and dealing with the challenges of climate change are paramount in all the groups and there is a broad consensus that things must change.

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