Irish divorce law: EC can’t interfere

BERTIE AHERN last night moved quickly to assert Ireland’s autonomy over domestic divorce legislation after reports suggested the EU Commission would enforce harmonisation of divorce law here.

Speaking from Madrid, where he is meeting with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, the Taoiseach said there was no possibility of the EC dictating domestic laws in Ireland.

Mr Ahern said a green paper from the EC before the Oireachtas was a discussion document which looked at the question of people living in a different country from the one that they were married in. While the Government is required to give its views on the paper, Mr Ahern said the power to change laws lay with the individual country. Divorce law was only for Ireland to decide.

In the Dáil yesterday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny raised concerns that the EC move could entail changes contradictory to the terms for which Irish people voted in the 1995 divorce referendum.

However, Finance Minister Brian Cowen reassured Mr Kenny that Ireland had an opt-out from EC proposals covering areas of family law.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Justice said the Government would issue a response to the green paper before September 30.