mr president i would like to thank the president-in-office mr jouyet and the president of the commission for their presentations here today
i would like to speak very briefly on the issue of the economic recovery plan because that in a lot of ways is what concerns the citizens and the people most with regard to how we are going to react and respond to the unprecedented global issues which have befallen us over the last number of months
i welcome the commission's recovery plan and proposal
it does dovetail and fit nicely into what the member states are already doing and indeed what the member states agreed to do under a coordinated plan under the french presidency
it is quite unique and quite ironic in one sense that it took this crisis to bring the british government into the club to see how we can cooperate and coordinate together despite the many years of striving to stay outside and to chart their own individual course
what this issue brings about more than anything else is a recognition that yes we have independence yes we can do things individually but when we act collectively when we come together and bring the great brains innovation talent and energy of the twenty-seven member states together then you can truly change the world with that individual collective effort
i congratulate commission president barroso and the president of the council for allowing us to mature in two thousand and eight as a european union to respond as adults to what were severe crises and criticisms with regard to europe's ability to react
that brings me on to the second point that we will discuss in the council the issue of the treaty of lisbon
obviously there are huge concerns amongst many people with regard to how we are going to resolve the issues that are left over because of the failure to ratify lisbon in every member state
i am quite confident that the irish government will come forward with a plan of how things should happen
that plan will call on other member states to do certain things as well
it is not just the irish on their own who have to deal with this problem
every member state again acting collectively has to deal with this problem
i would encourage all members to look at the report that the special committee in the the national parliament in ireland brought forward
it is notable that the only people who objected to that report were the same people who objected to the treaty of lisbon and every other treaty before that
these are the same shadowy figures who like to hide in the darkness and claim there is a better way but never say what that better way is the very same people who never put forward what is best for irish interests and european interests but merely something for a small political gain for themselves
the reality is that collectively we can achieve greater and better things but also that this requires compromise understanding and tolerance of the differing viewpoints that will be coming forward
