Negative Lisbon report ‘kept quiet’

PROMINENT members of the European Parliament were warned not to raise “politically sensitive issues” until the Lisbon treaty is passed here.

This came to light in a second memo leaked from EU institutions in recent weeks.

It was suggested that MEPs should not discuss an “important report” by the parliament’s budgetary affairs committee on the financial and budgetary implications of the treaty until after the Irish vote.

This follows the leaking last week of an email that said the European Commission’s vice-president Margot Wallström promised the Government to “tone down or delay messages that might be unhelpful”.

The latest leak comes at a time when no campaigners are accusing the Government of avoiding a full debate on the treaty.

The warning that the parliament should “exercise caution” until after the referendum is contained in a letter written by the head of the EU Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee Jo Leinen to head of the budgetary affairs committee Reimer Böege. Mr Leinen said he made similar representations to the chairs of other committees.