Nice Treaty - Trade should be at core of Nice debate

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern made a forceful plea for the ratification of the Nice Treaty yesterday on the grounds that it is vital for our continued economic growth. He noted that 90% of our Gross Domestic Product is exported, which can be compared to about 35% among our European neighbours.

Despite the recent economic setback, our economy is still growing at 3%, which would normally have been the cause for rejoicing.

The Nice Treaty is not about our military neutrality, much less farm subsidies or health cutbacks. Those matters should not be allowed to cloud the issue. Some of the opponents have opposed every European initiative since this country voted to join the European Economic Community in 1972. “The arguments they put forward for 30 years have always been flawed,” the Taoiseach contended. “They use the same old dim-bat stuff all of the time.”