A Positive Role for Ireland in International and European Affairs

15 April 2012

by Cllr Joe Costello

The Irish Government has a strong track record on the promotion and defence of Human Rights. Human Rights underline our society at home and underpin our relationship with the countries of the world.

The thrust of the motions before us today relate strongly to the protection and defence of Human Rights internationally -- in the harsh treatment of dissenting voices in China and the brutality of the present regime in Syria. In other motions, the issue of voting rights for Irish emigrants and the rights of workers in Northern Ireland are addressed. And finally, there is the matter of our man or woman in the Vatican, or rather, not in the Vatican.

I look forward to the discussion on these motions.

OSCE

In 2012, Ireland holds the chair of the OSCE, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which represents 56 of the world's countries. Eamon Gilmore, our Tanaiste, has made Human Rights and freedom of the traditional and social media the themes of Ireland's chairmanship of the OSCE. He will host an international conference on press freedom in Ireland later this month and an OSCE Ministerial conference later in the year.

EU Presidency

Next year, 2013, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the European Union. We will preside over the arrangements for Croatian accession on the 1st of July 2013. We will finalise the crucial negotiation on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MAFF) for the EU (2014-2020), which will determine the distribution of EU spending for the next six years and the various reforms of the sectors of the EU's operations. Indeed, in my own Department, we are organising an international conference under the Irish Presidency in conjunction with the Mary Robinson Foundation on the theme of Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice. Michael D. Higgins, our President, will be the Special Guest Speaker.

Referendum

In the short-term, the most pressing issue facing Ireland is the forthcoming Referendum on the Stability Treaty, which will be held on the 31st of May 2012. Our Deputy Leader, Joan Burton, has been appointed Director of Elections for the Campaign, reflecting the central importance that Labour attaches to a Yes vote. It is imperative that the result is a resounding Yes, and a positive outcome is crucial for the stability of our economy. Therefore, the lessons of the two Lisbon Treaty Referenda must be learnt and applied. The message of last year's Presidential Campaign is particularly pertinent, where all units of the Labour Party and all public representatives played active roles in getting Michael D. Higgins elected President of Ireland.

Northern Ireland

When Labour was last in Government in the 1990s, Dick Spring was Leader of the Labour Party, Tanaiste, and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Northern Ireland was the main focus of the Department's concerns. Last month, the Tanaiste, Eamon Gilmore, invited Peter Robinson, the leader of the DUP and the First Minister in Northern Ireland, to Iveagh House to deliver the first Edward Carson Lecture on "Reflections on Irish Unionism", marking the Ulster Covenant in 1912. This was the first public event this year in the commemoration of the historical events leading to the foundation of the Irish State. This would have been unthinkable 15 years ago when we were last in Government. Similarly unthinkable would have been the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland last autumn and the proposed State Visit of President Michael D. Higgins to Britain -- the first State Visit of an Irish President to Great Britain ever.

At present, Ireland is funding a Reconciliation Forum of approximately 200 community organisations from different religious backgrounds in Northern Ireland. Crucially, there is growing confidence in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), with 80% of the people expressing satisfaction with the service in September 2011. An unprecedented 30% of the Police are now Catholic, and the percentage is increasing annually.

International Reputation

But the most important achievement of this Government in international matters has been the commitment to repairing the damage caused by the previous Government to Ireland's international reputation. This is also the Tanaiste's most significant achievement to date. He has travelled to every country in the EU. He has crisscrossed the Atlantic, and he has travelled to Asia and Africa. He has rebuilt Ireland's reputation abroad. Instead of being the "sick man of Europe", Ireland is now the country that is admired worldwide as strong, disciplined and robust, which has suffered terribly from the financial crisis but which is fighting back to regain political and economic sovereignty for our people. No one has done more than the Tanaiste to rebuild our reputation abroad. By rebuilding our reputation, we gain the trust of the global community, we gain the confidence of the markets and we convince the business world that Ireland is the place to invest and set up business and trade.

When the dust has settled on the economic crisis, the first year in Government will be seen as the turning point for our economy and our country. This is the first step to regaining our sovereignty. That is the real monument to the Centenary Commemoration of the founding of the Labour Party in 1912.