Ahern confident over Nice vote

The upcoming referendum on the Nice Treaty will be ‘‘payback time’’ for Ireland, which has benefited ‘‘extraordinarily’’ from membership of the European Union, to extend those benefits to the peoples of central and southern Europe, said the Taoiseach today.

Bertie Ahern, launching his Government’s campaign for a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum on June 7, said he was confident of victory.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams launched his party’s campaign against the treaty, claiming it will lead to the creation of a European super-state and a two-tier Europe.

The treaty, which paves the way for EU enlargement into the former communist block, must be ratified by the 15 EU parliaments and the European Parliament by the end of 2002.

Mr Ahern said: ‘‘We in Ireland will have a unique chance to endorse the Treaty of Nice and to make it clear that we stand ready to accept up to twelve new members.

‘‘Ireland is the only member state of the European Union in which a referendum is needed to ratify the treaty and I am proud that the Irish people will enjoy the democratic opportunity to have their say.

‘‘I am confident that they will say ‘yes’ to the Treaty of Nice, just as they have said ‘yes’ to Europe on four previous occasions.’’

He said that since Ireland joined the EU in 1973 - a ‘‘turning point in our history’’ - it has become an ‘‘outward-looking, self-confident country’’.

He said: ‘‘We have done extraordinarily well - now is the time to stand up and pay something back.’’

EU enlargement would also benefit Ireland by opening up a free market of 500 million people - ‘‘one of the largest and wealthiest markets in the world’’ - at a time when Irish business is better placed than ever before to benefit from investing and trading abroad, he said.

Though the treaty reorganises the allocation of votes in an EU of up to 27 member states, Mr Ahern said: ‘‘Ireland will continue to be represented in the institutions at a level considerably greater than our population alone would imply.’’

But Mr Adams said the treaty was about more than European enlargement:

‘‘Changes in the European treaty will happen regardless of whether any new states join.

‘‘It is about the creation of a European super-state, with its own army. It is about developing and pushing ahead with a two-tier EU.’’

The treaty allows for further co-operation between some members states on certain issues while other countries opt out - creating the so-called two-speed Europe.

‘‘We will be campaigning vigorously to see this treaty defeated,’’ Mr Adams said, adding that a no vote would, ‘‘send a very clear signal to people throughout the European Union for a stop to this’’.

Mr Ahern said such a result would be ‘‘ungenerous’’ but added he could not envisage this outcome.

He dismissed the concerns of the no-camp, insisting: ‘‘The Treaty of Nice will not create a two-tier Europe. It will not create a European army. It will not create a federal European super-state.’’