Dana's warning over EU treaty

Irish people should not allow faceless Eurocrats to shape their future in the new Reform Treaty, former MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon said today.

The Government is due to hold a referendum on the troubled EU pact next year but faces a big battle to win public support.

An IMS poll published today found that 13% of people said they would vote against the Treaty while 62% said they don’t know or have no opinion.

Former MEP Dana today confirmed she would support the public campaign in Ireland to defeat the document.

“Right now, the majority of people in Ireland wouldn’t support the Treaty,” she said.

The 1970 Eurovision winner said she had gained an insight as a MEP into how the Treaty was negotiated and felt it will give away too much control to EU institutions.

She asked: “Do we want to put power into the hands of an unelected group of people in the European Commission and allow them to shape the future of people in this country?”

The Government said it is confident that a public information campaign help will swing a majority of people in favour of the Treaty.

“The fact that only 13% intend to vote No is encouraging for those of us who will be campaigning strongly for a Yes vote,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern.

“This treaty is inevitably complex but it is a good treaty. It is a treaty in which all key Irish interests are fully reflected. Its ratification will be good for Europe and good for Ireland.

“I expect this to be confirmed when the electorate examine the Reform Treaty.”

The Reform Treaty, which says centralisation will create a more efficient administration, was agreed by EU leaders at a summit in Lisbon last month.

It was drafted after the EU Constitutional Treaty, on which Taoiseach Bertie Ahern brokered agreement, was rejected by the French and Dutch electorates.

Ireland voted against the Nice Treaty in 2001 but that decision was reversed in another referendum in 2003 following after the issue of neutrality was clarified.

Ireland is the only EU member state which must hold a referendum on the pact.