European Constitution ‘will not be renegotiated’
“People are talking about renegotiation - that’s not on the agenda at all.”
Mr Ahern was speaking yesterday following the publication of the bill to pave the way for a referendum on the constitution.
A Yes vote would ensure the necessary changes are made to the Irish Constitution to allow the State to ratify the EU equivalent.
For the most part, the European Constitution is a collation of all the existing treaties which govern the workings of the EU.
While some countries will simply seek parliamentary approval for the document, at least 11 have decided to allow their citizens to decide its fate by holding referendums.
Spain was the first to hold a referendum, which resulted in a Yes vote. Next up is France on Sunday, but the latest opinion polls there suggest the public will reject the constitution. In addition, the result in France is likely to have some bearing on the Dutch, who will vote in their referendum on Wednesday. The Government has not yet set a date for the referendum here, but it must be held before November 1 next year, the deadline for ratification.
The constitution cannot come into effect unless ratified by every member state. However, should four-fifths of member states ratify the document, the European Council would call into being an intergovernmental conference, or IGC, to review the situation. Even then, however, the future of the constitution would be far from clear.
Yesterday, Mr Ahern said the Irish referendum would go ahead regardless of the outcomes in France and Holland. “We will proceed in any event,” he said.
A referendum commission, with a likely budget of €5.5 million, will shortly be established to inform the public of the issues surrounding the constitution. Such commissions are established for every referendum, and are tasked with preparing independent and unbiased information.
The Government will campaign strongly for a Yes vote, said Mr Ahern. The constitution also has the backing of the main opposition parties, Fine Gael and Labour, which were consulted by the Government on the wording of the bill. Sinn Féin opposes the constitution, however, and will play a leading role in the No campaign.
The bill providing for the referendum is expected to go before the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess, but is unlikely to be finalised until the autumn.
