Nice Treaty could leave Ireland outside
Under the Treaty of Nice, the Council, to be weighted heavily in favour of the five largest member nations, will see those powers expanded.
One example concerns the make up of the European Commission, where all member nations currently have a veto against potentially damaging legislation.
Article 2 of the Nice Treaty, amending Title XXI, Article 214(2), of the Treaty establishing the European Community, provides that the Council shall choose the President of the Commission and approve the appointment of every Commissioner to that body, with the endorsement of the European Parliament.
By amending Article 215 of the same Title, the Nice Treaty will empower the Council, when a vacancy occurs on the Commission due to retirement, resignation, or death, to leave that vacancy unfilled for an undefined period of time.
In addition, Article 4 of the “Protocol on Enlargement of the European Union” provides that the Council “shall adopt the number of members of the Commission” at some future date, which number “shall be less than the number of Member Nations”.
By virtue of such broad powers, the European Council could exclude several member nations for a period that could extend to five years or more.
As a result, Ireland could find itself without representation in the EU’s primary legislative body for what would be an eternity in today’s global economy.
John-Paul O’Driscoll,
403 Harvest Loop,
Prattville,
Alabama,
