THERE NEEDS to be a debate throughout Europe on a new “post-liberal” political ethos arising from the current market crash and social upheaval, Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell has said.
The former TD and minister of state was addressing the opening session of a two-day meeting of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) group of the European Parliament in Killarney, Co Kerry.
He described the group as “the successor to those who sought to rebuild Europe after two devastating 20th-century wars”.
The philosophy of that generation was based on the principles that “every right brings with it a responsibility” and that “the wealth created by encouraging the enterprising spirit must provide the means for social justice”.
He said these were the principles on which the “social market economy” was based, where human dignity was the prime consideration.
It was time for the member parties of the group to gain the political initiative by “restating and restoring” the aims of the social market economy.
“This is not the property of socialists or liberals,” Mr Mitchell said. “It is our stock-in-trade.”
Polish MEP Dr Jan Olbrycht, who chaired a session on tourism, paid tribute to the Irish people for the manner in which his fellow countrymen and women were received.
“Wherever we go in Ireland, whatever hotel we stay in, including this one, we hear the Polish language. Many Poles are working here in the sector. What the Poles who work here are doing is telling people back home that they are very well treated here.
“The way you treat people is crucial. The way the Irish people treat these hundreds of thousands of Poles is very important: it is a great opportunity because it is an incentive for other Polish people to come here as tourists.
“People in Poland know that they will be well-treated in Ireland. They want to come to Ireland, they want to come and visit the people who are working here and they want to visit a country which treats outsiders well, and I’d like to thank you in Ireland for that.”
Former president of the Irish Hotels Federation Michael Rosney recalled that, as finance minister, the late Charles Haughey brought in the “remarkable and enlightened” policy of free travel for pensioners. He told the assembled European parliamentarians that the federation had been pushing for free travel in Ireland to be extended to all EU senior citizens.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar responded: “There is no such thing as free travel; somebody has to pay.” He stressed that he had “no plans to end free travel – but it isn’t free”.
The Minister told delegates that “tourism and travel are the fourth-biggest industry in the world” although it had been “very badly hit by the economic crash”.
He described the Schengen Agreement for open borders on mainland Europe as “a tremendous achievement” that, regrettably, Ireland could not join because of the pre-existing common travel area with the United Kingdom.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, he said free travel to Ireland for EU senior citizens might mean a 20 per cent increase in visitors, but at significant cost to the Irish taxpayer, who would also be funding those who would travel here anyway.
Chairman of the European People’s Party Joseph Daul MEP told the meeting he would argue against the “left-wing” proposition that we need to spend more to achieve growth.
“We cannot spend money we no longer have,” he said. “If we wish to exit the crisis we need to rebalance the books.” On the May 31st referendum, he said: “We are here to ask the Irish people to vote Yes and to steer the way for our future.”
He added: “I firmly believe Ireland will give us a positive message.”
PEOPLE'S PARTY KILLARNEY MEETING
The European People’s Party is a grouping of centre-right parties in the Christian Democratic tradition, founded in 1976. It consists of 74 member parties, from 39 states, including Fine Gael, and is the largest group in the European Parliament with 271 MEPs.
The theme of the meeting in the Europe Hotel, Killarney, which concludes today, is Relaunching Growth and Employment: A Responsibility for the EU.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is a vice-president of the EPP and other prominent figures include German chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy. Mr Kenny will be among the speakers this morning, along with Lucinda Creighton and MEPs Jim Higgins, Mairéad McGuinness, Gay Mitchell and German MEP Elmar Brok.
