All eyes on Ireland as EU treaty is signed

AS THE only country to have a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty all eyes now shift to Ireland following the official signing of the treaty document in Lisbon yesterday.

While the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has not yet announced a date for the referendum, campaigning is under way with commission president Jose Manuel Barroso calling on Irish voters to show their commitment to Europe by voting in favour of the treaty.

Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley advised the commission president, however: “No tax, no tax, no tax. The treaties do not give you the power to come up with tax proposals. The commission should stay away from it,” he said, referring to proposals to have a single method of calculating corporation tax across the EU.

Fine Gael has made it clear that people should not vote against the treaty to voice their anger at the Government. “We are asking them to hold fire. This treaty needs to be ratified in the national interest. Voters should wait until the local and European elections to let the government parties feel their wrath,” said the party’s European Affairs spokeswoman, Lucinda Creighton.

Labour’s MEP Proinsias De Rossa said: “Most people in Europe are watching us with bated breath in anticipation of our referendum decision in a few months’ time.

“We should not let them down by turning our back on our collective future together.”

Not everyone, however, is urging the Irish to vote yes. Sinn Féin, the only party calling for it to be rejected, described it as “a mammoth move towards a super state”. They say the treaty promotes militarisation, deregulation, privatisation, low public spending and damages Ireland’s interests.

The Green Party has yet to decide whether to support the treaty or not.

The business world was also quick to react, with Business Europe calling for swift ratification to allow the union concentrate on achieving its economic and social objectives.

The Government has launched a website, www.reformtreaty.ie, to give information and will prepare leaflets, including a guide to the EU.

The new articles and amendments of the Reform Treaty integrated into the existing treaties will be on the website.

The Irish version of the treaty, can be viewed at www.europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/index_ga.htm