Ireland must 'Raise its Game'

Ireland Must “Raise its Game” at EU Level Pat Cox Tells Oireachtas Committee


5th May 2010

Ireland needs to “raise its game” if it is to properly benefit from the new powers and entitlements available to it resulting from the Lisbon Treaty, former President of the EU Parliament, Pat Cox told an Oireachtas Committee today.

Mr Cox said that the Oireachtas needs to raise its game when it comes to involving itself in drafting new laws if Ireland is to fully take advantage of the new authority for national parliaments post Lisbon. He suggested that the Oireachtas must take a more direct interventionist approach than has been the case to date. It must engage with the EU institutions and the government at the early pre-legislative stage if it wishes to shape EU laws which can have a profound effect on Ireland’s economy and society.

Mr Cox was addressing the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on European Affairs which is considering how the Houses of the Oireachtas should implement the new entitlements it has gained through the provision of the Lisbon Treaty.

He also claimed that there is also a need to include EU affairs across the Irish school syllabus in order to heighten the awareness of European issues. He argued this needs to be done in a systematic way by including EU matters in the teaching of subjects like history, geography and statistics rather than simply including it in the current CSPE course.

Committee Chairperson Lucinda Creighton TD said;
“As one of Ireland’s most experienced European parliamentarians we must sit up and take notice when Pat Cox says that the Oireachtas needs to improve its performance on the EU stage. We must ensure that we make the most of this opportunity and properly take advantage of the new influence the Lisbon Treaty has given us.

This Committee intends to achieve this by recommending ways on how this can be accomplished, so the hearings today will certainly contribute to our findings. Over the course of the coming weeks we will be hearing from several relevant individuals who will play a role in helping the Committee come to its conclusions.”

Former Taoiseach and ex EU Ambassador to the United States John Bruton and Alan Dukes, previous Chairman of the Irish Council of the European Movement will be the witnesses at next week’s meeting.