EU constitution talks top priority of Irish presidency

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern said restarting talks on a first-ever constitution would be his top priority during Ireland’s six-month EU presidency.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday, Mr Ahern pledged the Irish presidency would “spare no effort to make progress and to facilitate consensus” among EU governments on the draft charter.

Talks on the constitution collapsed in December, when two of the largest members, Germany and France, clashed with smaller states, led by Spain and Poland, about their future voting strength in the expanding union.

Mr Ahern promised if his fellow leaders were willing to display the necessary political will he would call an inter-governmental conference in April or May to agree it ahead of the June Parliament elections.

He said however that a deal could only be reached if France, Germany, Spain and Poland move to reconcile differences.

“Ultimately, if we are to arrive at the necessary compromises, what is needed is sufficient collective political will,” he said.

Another top priority for the Ireland’s tenure at the helm was how the EU, which will expand by 10 nations to 25 on May 1, can boost economic growth.

Mr Ahern said the EU will have to implement more reforms to ensure the economic disparities between the incoming members and the rest of the club can be bridged.

“We must create an environment which fosters more and better jobs for our people,” he said.

“Maintaining the status quo will not improve Europe’s economic standing, competitiveness or employment rates.”

He said more deregulation of the services sector could provide more jobs and growth, and could help narrow the growth gap between Europe and the US.

The response to Mr Ahern’s address to the parliament members was very positive overall, although Ulster MEP Rev Ian Paisley said he hoped it would keep him so busy he would not be able to interfere in the affairs of the North.

However, Mr Ahern good-humouredly told him that he would be able to keep abreast of both, just as Mr Paisley does in his seats on the European Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

One of the very few to urge caution was Munster Fianna Fáil MEP Gerard Collins speaking for the small GUE party in the Parliament. “A hastily reconvened Summit and a second failure to reach agreement on a Constitutional Treaty would quickly plunge the European Union into crisis,” he told the Taoiseach.