Barry Cowen: Good Politics Not Loud, Irish Presidency Focus

Thank you Chair and thank you Senators for the invitation to be here today and to meet with you and discuss the issues pertaining to what is an important moment associated with the Irish Presidency which is almost upon us and I want to begin with a point that may seem obvious but I think is worth making. The role of an MEP is different from that of a councillor, it's different from that of a TD or indeed a minister and I've had the privilege of serving in all those roles as a councillor you deal with the immediate concerns of your communities as a TD or national legislator and constituency representative but in the European Parliament you're assigned files, committees and legislative responsibilities with specific remit. Success in Brussels is not measured by who shouts the loudest or who produces the sharpest social media clip, it's measured by whether you can influence legislation and forge alliances and deliver outcomes and when I sought election to the European Parliament I did so with a purpose, I saw enormous challenges and opportunities facing the Midlands North West, agriculture entering a period of major transition, the Midlands of course moving away from traditional fossil fuel power generation and indeed I saw opportunities around renewable energy, offshore wind, strategic investment through pro-enterprise economy and following my election to the Parliament I secured places on three committees which I believe reflects exactly those ambitions. On the agriculture committee my priorities have been clear, first and foremost given its timeliness was to retain Ireland's nitrates derogation, the recent extension of course was extremely welcome and reflected something important too that when government stakeholders, farmers and public representatives work together with evidence and a common approach Ireland can and has delivered. Second is the next common agricultural policy post-2027, I was honoured to be appointed as my group Renew Europe's lead negotiator on this file meaning I'm now deeply immersed in those negotiations. The Commission's initial proposal for an approximately 20% reduction in CAP funding is simply not acceptable but it's not enough just to merely bemoan that fact, it's incumbent on MEPs particularly group leaders including myself to bring forward solutions and I believe I've already found two avenues for potentially filling that current shortfall in relation to the 45 billion that came from the Mercosur concessions which would see funds from the mid-term as promised front-loaded and fully ring-fenced for the common agricultural policy. Then a further 48 billion can be secured through the wider partnership fund that we can get into later. I think if we land both the gap is essentially closed and there's scope then to build further for example to bring funding in line with inflation. The final issue I want to raise under agriculture is generational renewal, an issue I'm hyper-focused on. The average age at present of an EU farmer is 57 and the Commission's CAP proposal rightly includes increasing the allocation for young farmers within CAP from 3% to 6% with our own government commendably seeking and considering an 8% spend. What we need to see is a proper balance now between retirement and succession measures that create space for younger farmers. MEPs I know and you'll know regularly talk about generation renewal but it's now incumbent on us to build structures that make it possible including significant reforms in the area of land mobility, access to finance and pathways into farming including for female farmers. When it comes to International Trade Committee then the first thing I must do is acknowledge that Ireland has benefited enormously from being one of the most open economies in Europe. In light of this I think the Irish people understand that we cannot simply oppose every trade agreement but equally we cannot pursue agreements at any cost. Trade must be fair and that means of course ensuring reciprocity. If Irish farmers for example produce work to world leading standards then imports entering our markets must respect similar standards. That's why I've consistently opposed elements of the Mercosur deal while at the same time worked to strengthen safeguard mechanisms in the event that the deal should pass and succeeded thereafter in strengthening monitoring arrangements from six month intervals to every three months, lowering safeguard thresholds from 10% to 5% in relation to price and volume changes that may occur while also ensuring that these thresholds would be treated, would not be treated rigidly where evidence of sector damage exists. And then the EU-US-EU-UK relationships have been central focus of mine also with Ireland holding uniquely close ties of course with both. In the case of the US maintaining stability and avoiding escalation around tariffs has been essential for Irish exporters in sectors ranging from agri-food and whiskey to aviation and pharmaceuticals. In relation to the UK then the renewed positive relationship we've seen between it and the EU has created important momentum and political agreement around issues such as SPS arrangements and regulatory alignment. But trade policy cannot simply be defensive. Opportunities elsewhere are considerable. The current geopolitical situation necessitates us to diversify strategically and means concluding trade deals more diligently and more timely than ever. And the EU-India agreement for example will bring major opportunities for Irish spirits, for medtech and other sectors. I was happy myself to play a part in a final trade deal to New Delhi which helped get the likes of that over the line. So deals that have been included in recent times including Mexico, Australia and many more in the offering and I look forward as part of that international trade committee to play my own part in securing those deals that are near conclusion. In relation to housing I have to say housing fundamentally of course remains a national competence and we should be honest about that. The Parliament's housing committee has identified two specific areas where Europe could have meaningful impact in facilitating rather than obstructing housing. Reforming EU state aid rules to allow far greater flexibility for approved housing bodies and increasing access for the European Investment Bank. I'll just finish in a second if you give me just one minute. I beg you, I beg of you. Because I want to say in conclusion, in conclusion as we prepare for the presidency of the council our role will not be to arrive at a national wish list but to be act as an honest broker. That doesn't mean lacking ambition. We should aim to advance the EU budget, strengthen competitiveness, support food security, drive sensible trade policy and reinforce Europe's strategic resilience and perhaps more importantly we should continue demonstrating that the centre can deliver. Because finally, last paragraph, seriously. Would you bring your back in as well? I've old scores to settle here you know. Because listen sorry no listen we live in a time of extreme on both the left and right and what I really wanted to say is that they are becoming louder and quite frankly much bolder and simple slogans unfortunately travel quickly, fear and anger travels quickly. But governing and legislating is far more difficult than protesting. Compromise is much more difficult than outrage and delivery is harder than both. So after about 30 years in public life or more I remain convinced of something simple. Good politics is rarely loud politics. Good politics is serious, practical, evidence-based. It's built on relationships and compromise and delivering results. That's the approach I've tried to bring and to grow throughout my career and it's an approach I will continue to bring during Ireland's presidency and beyond. Thank you.