Ireland wins better deal in talks on EU constitution
All EU member states will have a representative on the European Commission if the recommendations by the Convention on the Future of Europe are adopted.
Smaller members, including Ireland, also say they have blocked the Union from becoming a superstate.
Last night, Europe Affairs Minister Dick Roche said he believed the outcome was something the Irish people would be happy to accept in a referendum.
“We have protected the interests of the smaller states and ensured we have full equality between all the countries. , he said, adding it was a triumph for common sense.
The main points agreed on in Brussels yesterday are:
Every country will have one Commissioner;
two-thirds will have voting rights for five years at a time in strict rotation;
there will be no President of Europe, as demanded by some bigger states, but a less powerful chairman;
Votes will be carried if they have the support of a majority of member states, representing 60% of the EU population;
the Parliament will hold onto the 732 seats agreed in Nice; and
the veto will remain on taxation issues.
Ireland is one of the leaders in an alliance of up to 16 smaller states fighting for this package, although the Government would prefer to hold onto the more complex voting arrangements under the Nice Treaty.
Former Taoiseach John Bruton, who as a member of the Praesidium, is one of the authors of the draft EU constitution said he believed it firmly nailed down equality between all member states in the EU.
“These were exceptionally hard-fought negotiations that went on into the early hours of the morning. We came up with detailed and firm arrangements for strictly equal rights between all states,” he said.
However, no text was issued for the draft yesterday evening because of a dispute over some of the wording in it.
Mr Bruton said the difference was over terminology and not content, and he believed it would be resolved when they resume on Tuesday.
“The equality of member states is still rock solid and I am comfortable the terminology issue will be easily resolved.”
He said getting one Commissioner for every country was a major achievement because up to now the five biggest countries had two Commissioners.
To improve efficiency in an expanded EU from 2009, the 25 Commissioners will be divided into a college of 15 with voting powers and 10 junior Commissioners with portfolios but no vote.
They will be appointed for a five-year term with every country taking turns in the college so that each country will have a vote for ten of every 15 years.
“When you bear in mind that up to now Britain had two Commissioners while we had just one you can see this is an achievement for absolute equality,” Mr Bruton said.
The Convention is due to present its final draft of the constitution to an EU summit in Greece on June 20-21.
