One million people may get ‘consideration’

IN his piece published in your Europe Day feature (May 9), Brian Crowley MEP tells us that after Lisbon, “the citizens’ initiative will grant the members of the public a direct input into the decision- making process”.

One million signatures from the citizens of Europe “can oblige the European Commission to consider adopting new legislation.

Sounds great — but look closer. An individual must collect one million signatures — a huge undertaking in itself — and forward them to the commission which, we are told by Mr Crowley, is “obliged to consider them”.

Let’s assume one million signatures are presented to the commission and it fulfils its obligation to consider the proposal, what then?

After the exhausting task of collecting the signatures, the petitioner is likely to be rewarded with a letter (if lucky) from the commission offering thanks for the proposal which will be passed onto someone for consideration. The commission is not obliged to do anything else but consider it. The term “obliged to consider” is a legal nothing.

At the moment anyone can petition the EU.

After Lisbon it will become a very difficult undertaking because we will need a minimum of one million signatures. As time goes on, who knows what new rules will be added that might require the million signatures to be divided equally between the 27 EU countries.

And God help us all if the commission insists we comply with the new gender equality rules that will force us to gather equal numbers of signatures from women and men.

Having considered the politicians’ attempts to encourage people to support the Lisbon Treaty based on such a nonsensical argument, all Irish people should respond as the commission is likely to do with the petitions of ordinary Joe Soaps — say no.

Michael Sheehan

Ballyarra

Castlelyons

Co Cork