Sweden worked closely with Ireland on fresh Lisbon deal

SWEDEN has adapted its neutrality to post cold-war conditions, the Swedish foreign minister said, and it was keen to ensure Ireland’s Lisbon treaty guarantees did not impact on its policies.

Both countries are neutral but their officials worked to make sure the clause underpinning Irish neutrality agreed over the weekend did not overly affect them.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said they had worked very closely with the Irish formulating the guarantees and that they have no problem with them.

“We had a policy for the cold war and now we are in a different time for us in our part of Europe and we are fully committed to the European security and defence policy.

He said while they are not members of Nato they are very close partners and want to play a full part in shaping foreign and security policy. “But that is for us, and it is up to other countries”, he said, to define their own policy in their own way.

The reference to Ireland’s military neutrality in the guarantees is the first time the country’s neutrality has been acknowledged in an international legal document.

The Swedish EU Affairs Minister, Cecilia Malmström, said the Lisbon Treaty would dominate the Swedish presidency of the EU, which begins on July 1.

She said if the Irish vote yes to the treaty, work would have to begin immediately on implementing some of the changes, such as appointing the new EU President and foreign affairs chief.

The October summit of EU leaders had been scheduled for late in the month so it could take into account the outcome of the Irish vote.

Asked whether she was confident that if Ireland voted to accept the treaty, the Polish and Czech presidents would ratify it, Ms Malmström said she hoped the presidents would sign in accordance with their national parliaments having agreed to the treaty.

“But I have learned not to be certain until everything is clear”, she added.

As well as the Lisbon treaty, climate change will be the other big issue for the Swedish presidency, with the global successor to the Kyoto Protocol due to be agreed at a UN conference in Copenhagen in December.