Primacy of EU law has been a fact of life for decades

THE primacy of EU law has been given as a reason for voting against the Lisbon Treaty.

Richard Greene of Cóir has stated this is an important departure from the past and could mean a vote for same-sex marriage, abortion and a change in our tax laws. Mr Greene is reducing the Lisbon debate to an absurdity and he is wrong on all counts.

The primacy of EU law was established by the European Court of Justice long before Ireland joined the European Community. In two landmark judgments the principle of primacy of EU law was clearly established by the court and has been accepted by all member states since that time. In the Van Gend and Loos case in 1963, the court held that EU law had direct effect in national legal systems.