Gilmore launches drive for Lisbon yes vote

THE Lisbon treaty will create a more effective, democratic Europe, which will serve its citizens better, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said yesterday.

Launching his party’s campaign for a yes vote, Mr Gilmore said Lisbon was “first and foremost” a citizens’ treaty.

“Whereas the Single European Act was about the internal market, Maastricht was about economic and monetary union, and Nice was about enlargement, Lisbon is about creating a more democratic union,” he said.

He said the treaty would give more power to the directly elected European Parliament and any proposed EU legislation would have to be referred to national parliaments before being implemented.

“Above all, [the treaty] includes the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which enshrines core democratic values in the primary law of the EU,” Mr Gilmore said.

“It will not alone be binding on the institutions of the union; it will strengthen the rights of Irish citizens at home.

“So, for example, the Lisbon reform treaty further strengthens the position of women by making the principle of equality between women and men legally binding.”

He said Lisbon also marked a major advance towards a “social Europe”.

“The treaty contains a social clause whereby the social issues must be taken into account when defining and implementing EU policy,” he said. “It provides for the first time a clear legal basis for European laws to protect public services.”

Mr Gilmore said the major challenges facing Ireland were increasingly global in nature as are the solutions.

“Our membership of the EU allows us to work with our fellow member states to collectively confront the great challenges of our age. The Lisbon treaty is designed to ensure that we do so more effectively.”

Labour, which is spending €200,000 on its campaign, will launch an outdoor advertising and billboard campaign next Monday. Door-to-door canvassing is also to be carried out in each constituency.

Meanwhile, the leadership of Sinn Féin, which is campaigning against the treaty, met in Dublin at the weekend to plan for the run-in to the June 12 referendum.

Party president Gerry Adams said Sinn Féin would schedule national and regional press events, conduct door-to-door canvassing, hold public debates and embark on a countrywide leadership tour to urge people to vote no to the treaty.