Fine Gael European election launch: The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, has claimed his party will retain its four seats in the European Parliament, despite the cut in the number of Irish seats to 13 from 15.
At the publication of Fine Gael's European election manifesto, Mr Kenny emphasised his party's membership of the European People's Party, the dominant group in the European Parliament.
He said Fine Gael candidates would have more influence in the parliament than any other Irish MEPs through their membership of this group.
Mr Kenny played down the findings of a monthly phone poll in the Sunday Business Post which said support for his party in the European campaign was down a point at 21 per cent from a similar poll a month ago.
"The poll today for what it's worth shows a consistently solid base for Fine Gael. I think the indications are from around the country that we will be strongly contesting for a minimum of four seats."
Mr Kenny claimed that Fianna Fáil was fielding reluctant candidates in Ministers of State, Mr Liam Aylward and Dr Jim McDaid, who are respectively running in the East and North-West constituencies.
"I think it's no secret that Minister of State Aylward is a reluctant candidate for Europe," said Mr Kenny. "And I think Minister McDaid was somewhat reluctant in the beginning as well."
Fine Gael is fielding six candidates: Mr Gay Mitchell TD in Dublin; Ms Avril Doyle MEP and Ms Mairéad McGuinness in East; Mr Simon Coveney TD in South; and Senator Jim Higgins and Ms Madeleine Taylor-Quinn in North-West. Both Mr Mitchell and Mr Coveney said they planned to sit in the European Parliament for the duration of their mandate if elected.
The Fine Gael manifesto said there was nothing "inherently moral" in the policy of military neutrality.
Ireland should take part in the negotiation of a common EU security strategy, it said. "In our ever-closer EU, Ireland should play an active role in the emerging common defence and security arrangements," it said.
Mr Mitchell said: "By not having a view on common foreign and security arrangements, the Government is signing Ireland out of a decision-making process that is crucial to our future."
The manifesto also called for direct elections throughout the EU for the presidency of the European Commission and called for the creation of a single European market for insurance.
Fine Gael said it wanted to see the creation of a common European health budget to combat conditions such as obesity, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS and cancer.
The manifesto also calls for reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, which limits Government borrowing.
While the document said immigration was desirable and necessary for economic and demographic reasons, it added that illegal immigration should be addressed at EU-level through increased border controls and surveillance, a co-ordinated visa policy among EU members and co-operation with countries of origin.
Mr Kenny is urging Fine Gael voters to support the citizenship referendum but the party will not be campaigning on the issue. He said it had only rarely been mentioned on the canvass.
"Fine Gael accept that there is a problem though we reject the manner and method in which the Government went about explaining this and the urgency with which they put it on."
He went on: "The net effect of the referendum is to give the Oireachtas the power to legislate to deal with that issue and we believe as legislators that we can deal with that issue."
