Lisbon a step to aid economic recovery

JAMES N O’SULLIVAN (Letters, August 17) sees the legal guarantees secured by Ireland at the June European Council as a cynical pretext for another referendum.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The legal guarantees secured at the June European Council respond decisively to the key concerns raised last year about the Lisbon Treaty. These guarantees confirm Ireland will retain control of tax rates, that our neutrality will not be affected by the treaty and that we alone will decide on sensitive ethical issues, such as the protection of the right to life, education and the family. Our EU partners also agreed that these guarantees will later be attached to the EU treaties as a protocol. This will give them the same legal status as the EU treaties themselves.

It has also been agreed that if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force, each member state will keep its EU Commissioner. This means that if we want to retain a commissioner we need to ratify Lisbon.

If Lisbon is not ratified, we could conceivably lose our commissioner as early as November.

In June, our EU partners also provided us with a solemn declaration to the effect that workers’ rights and public services are valued and protected.

It is clear that the Lisbon Treaty, taken together with this package of guarantees and assurances, now represents a very different proposition for Ireland.

The economic context has also changed dramatically since last year.

Our guarantees deal comprehensively with issues that were sensitive for voters during last year’s referendum.

Ratification of Lisbon is vital if we are to secure our position within the EU and voting Yes on October 2 represents a practical step we can take to aid our economic recovery and protect Irish jobs and prosperity.

Brian Crowley MEP

South Constituency

Maryborough Lodge

Maryborough Hill

Douglas

Cork